Italian defender Calafiori visits Maldives following defeat in Euro 2024

The young Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, who had demonstrated outstanding performance in the ongoing Euro Championships 2024 has visited Maldives for a vacation following defeat in the Championships.

While the former champions, Italy had crashed out of Euro 2024 in the second round after demonstrating what critics describe as poor and uninspired performance, Calafiori, aged 22 had been amongst the selected few players who displayed a performance that satisfied supporters.

Several large clubs had expressed interest in signing Calafiori following his performance on the pitch, with England's Arsenal standing at the forefront of the scouts.

Calafiori's partner had shared charming photos of the two in Maldives for a summer vacation on Instagram before the footballer proceeds his activities with another club, including a snapshot of Calafiori walking by the beach holding his snorkeling gear in one hand.

Maldives has remained the topmost vacation destination for footballers, particularly Italian football players for a long time.

Calafiori had first sparked recognition for the headband around his hair, which was styled similar to that sported by former Italian defenders, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro who were widely regarded the Italian Wall.

Born and raised in Rome, Riccardo Calafiori started out in the youth academy of AS Roma at the age of nine and was recognized for the performance he displayed for FC Basel during last year's season. He had later transferred to Bologna, Italy and under the guidance of Thiago Motta, demonstrated outstanding performance while securing a spot in the Championships league, landing within the top four player on the team.

Following that, Italy's Juventus had also attempted to sign the young footballer, succeeding in coming to an agreement. However, Bologna, who were clashing with Juventus due to Motta signing for the team were reluctant to sell Calafiori over to Juventus.

Amid the situation, Arsenal and also UK's Chelsea had offered large proposals to Calafiori following his outstanding performance in Euro 2024. Calafiori had reportedly reciprocated Arsenal's interest and reached an agreement to sign into the club for MVR 4 million a year. However, Arsenal has not yet reached a consensus with Bologna.

Although Calafiori is mostly celebrated as the central defence in Italy, it is believed that Mikael Arteta will situate Calafiori in the left back, which is also a position he holds promise in.

Calafiori is a player talented not only in ball skills but also playmaking. The goal scored by Italy during the last minutes of the match against Croatia to advance for the second round of Euro 2024 was also an opportunity created by Calafiori. He was suspended during the match that observed Italy's defeat to Switzerland with a score of 0-2.