Italy international Riccardo Calafiori says the day Arsenal won the title was the ‘best’ of his life, but reveals some teammates weren’t in the mood for the open-top bus parade the day after the Champions League Final defeat.

Italy international Calafiori looked back on some of the best moments of his career in an interview with Arsenal’s official website.

The 24-year-old has just started his third season at Arsenal and, last week, he scored his first international goal for Italy and his first home goal with the Gunners.

A 2025-26 Premier League title winner, Calafiori spoke about other meaningful achievements in his career during his latest interview.

“I won some trophies, even before I played for Roma, which was my first professional team. There’s one I always remember, which is not that important, but for me it was,” he said.

“When I was 13 or 14 I was already playing for Roma, but I also played for my school. We were in a big tournament where you play against other schools in Rome and we got to the final, and then won this prestigious tournament.

“I’m still really grateful for this because I’ve got great memories of it. My team-mates, were also my classmates, we had a mixed team with one girl in our side as well, and I don’t think we were expected to win it. But we did really well. It was difficult but we came together as a really good team and we won it.”

Becoming a Premier League champion with Arsenal, however, remains the biggest achievement in his career so far: “It’s hard to explain, but it was incredibly satisfying and also a great relief for the entire club and the Arsenal family. All the players were together that night, at the training ground, watching Manchester City against Bournemouth,” the Italian admitted.

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "Calafiori: Arsenal title win ‘the best day of my life’ but some players wanted to skip parade" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Gironi & Calendario metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

Editorial Fact-Check & Verification Note: This briefing was curated, corroborated, and synthesized by the Mondiali 2026 Italia Editorial Desk. Readers following "Calafiori: Arsenal title win ‘the best day of my life’ but some players wanted to skip parade" are encouraged to review the full primary source coverage linked below for complete historical context, direct quotes, and official statements.