Many consider Riccardo Calafiori to be the hero for Italy last night as he set up Mattia Zaccagni for the equaliser that booked their place in the knockout stages of the European Championship.
It looked as though Italy were dropping into the jeopardy of third place with 90+7 minutes on the clock last night in Leipzig, with Luka Modric’s goal having put Croatia 1-0 up and on course to get through.
However, Calafiori picked up possession, galloped forward with a central run and fed the ball to Zaccagni on the edge of the box who curled a sensational first-time effort into the top corner, sparking rapturous scenes.
As Calciomercato.com write, after a breakout season with Bologna it is Calafiori who is also stealing the spotlight for the Azzurri at the Euros too. He is Milan’s ‘great regret’ because they had him in their hands a year ago, but he ‘must also become a great hope’.
They write how he ticks a lot of boxes because he is 22 years old, Italian (and Milan lack Italians), a central defender (which Milan need) and he is left-footed (just like Milan are looking for).
The piece states that ‘not trying to sign him would be a mortal sin’ and that they must try to hijack the concrete attempts of Juventus to reunite him with Thiago Motta.
Milan seriously evaluated the idea of signing Calafiori as the deputy for Theo Hernandez last summer but were only willing to offer a loan with an option to buy, which Basel did not agree to. Instead, Bologna entered the race and agreed to pay €4m plus bonuses, which now looks a bargain.
To be fair, Calafiori one year ago was a different beast. As the article mentions, he was a left back intended to be Theo’s deputy. The merit for transforming him into a (very good) central defender is Thiago Motta’s work. No disrespect to Mr Pioli, but my gut feeling is he wouldn’t have evolved like he did if he had come to Milan last year, so it’s also no wonder that the player would prefer staying close to the coach who made him a rising star (i.e. going to Juventus). If Milan somehow snatch him now it’d be great but that possibility looks remote.
He can play both LB and CB. He is tall and good tackler which is good for CB but is also very fast and has good passing/crossing which is good for LB. Thats why he goes forward so much as a CB, simmilar like Tomori he has the speed to get back on time. Also at 21 last year his career was just starting so even without Motta the potential was always there. However according to american woke ideology man from the majority bad, so no Italians in Italian club, thats the standard that they go for.
Yes but would Pioli develop him as CB?
Under Pioli, Calafiori would be like Terraciano but on the left
There is noch Bayern Munich without germans but Milan without…….
Pretty agree. Just look at Teracciano.
Nevermind respect. He would have benched him forever and right now Calafiori would be where Terreaciano is. Good of Cala that he went to Bologna, because Pioli would have killed his career. And he ended up at Bologna because they have a proper director in Sartori, the original architect of Atalanta. It’s not a coincidence they went from midtable to champions league.
Thats interesting to hear about Sartori.
The way Calafiori plays his price will soon go to 50mil. No way this idiots get him now. They will bring some non italian who is 50 times worse than him.
Imagine if Milan actually had signed Califiori, Thuram and Hjulmand last season. All what would have been missing is a RB and this team would be fighting for scudetto.
Saint AI algorithm contradict you 😆😆
Hjulmand at 20 milions just like Musah costs…what a miss…a huge huge mistake…
Such a talented player, young, leadership, professional…he has them all…but our smart management chose Musah… because our manager Pioli want to play a 4-3-3 scheme, which only worked for a month even though he built the team for this system…smart, smart management+AI = such a great combo 😆😆
No, please don’t insult AI. Even pure AI would do better.
they would have never become the players they are today under pioli (look at cdk)
he will 100 percent follow the coach that trusted him to juve.
Calafiori would be a great signing for the CB position and yes looking back on it Milan or Juve,inter, Napoli should have signed him last summer for peanuts. BTW Basel holds 50% clause from his sale.
But, let’s be honest here.
If he signed for Milan last summer he wouldn’t be the same player today or be playing for the NT at the Euro’s.
Let’s not forget who Milan’s coach was. He would have been sitting on the bench until he asked to leave on loan Ala Gabbia.
Milan might have a version of Calafiori in Terracciano (different position) but the kid made one mistake and Pioli never played him again.
Roma gave up on Calafiori and his transfer to Basel and then Bologna where he was allowed to make mistakes and work thru them turn him into the player he is today. Based on track record that wouldn’t have happened at Milan under Pioli.
CDK is a perfect example of it.
Also, Fonseca was the coach that played him at Roma and Jose gave up on him.
And Bologna has Sartori, let’s not forget having a proper director is key.
Absolutely you are right . Sartori is currently the best sportiv director in Italy.
Marotta?👀
Is the lesson to learn from your post is that instead of always looking for the new shiny object once they succeeded, we should perhaps try to improve the prospects we already have ?
I do think Calafiori would be a great signing, but as you and many said, he only became an interesting option after Motta trusted him and made him what he was. Had Calafiori be signed instead of Pellegrino, it’s safe to assume that he will have had the same fate as him, aka only being used after every single CB has been injured and then making a single mistake then going back again to the bench while we start non-CB as CBs (Theo…).
It might be too late to get Calafiori now, but it’s not too late to trust Terraciano or other players like Bartesaghi, Jimenez (although I don’t like the formula we got him with) and perhaps even Pobega ? It’s not a guarantee formula, but it should be considered IMO
This is Milan not Bologna.. when you play for club as big a Milan you need to get things right to challenge the starters.
The only truth here is the project was entrusted in the hands of the wrong management. who doesn’t like Italian players and does not trust their own academy players but prefer to buy other clubs academy player at high cost,
It’s already reported Bologna will hold out for a sum between 40 and 50 millions for him. Besides we’re fully focused on Ligue 1 could bees with max 15 + bonuses for the signature.
Calafiori should be brought in at all costs. He’s amazing. And would fit in perfectly. I know we won’t get him but it’s somebody we should aim for
Agree with others here. If we’d have bought him, Pioli wouldn’t have played him and he wouldn’t be the player he is. Motta should have been the coach we went for but we have gone for second best, which seems to be what the current Milan have become. Juve and Inter seem to be the place in Italy where players want to go.
I hope that changes with Fonseca…
Watch us sign some random foreign CB from ligue 1 or the Peruvian league
Motta developed the sh|t out of this kid. Kudos to him. One can only wonder what Motta could have done (or not done) at Milan with our crop of players…
I’d love to bring Calafiori in. His runs forward have been excellent and aside from the unlucky own goal, he’s looked good at the tournament.
Another mistake by Furlani and Moncada. Went for Pelligrino instead LOL. Horrible
Yes not getting Motta was another huge mistake IMO.
So when THIS management missed a target we use the excuse “well Pioli wouldn’t have developed him anyways” – DESPITE developing ummm I don’t know: Leao, Tonali, Theo, Benny, Kalulu etc….
Ya I guess that’s about right lol. Any excuse to defend Redbird is a good one I guess 😂
Developed Leao? How. Did he teach him how to go 1v1 and run fast?
Developed Tonali! Ha 😅
Theo? Did he teach Theo how to run faster than everyone else? Theo is still very poor defensively.
Bennacer was better in his 1st season at Milan under Giampaolo than he is today.
Kalulu was a starter for about 3 months and lost his starting position. We don’t know if he is a CB or a RB . He is poor at both.
Developed by Pioli. Lol.
Ya that is all Theo and Leao do they run fast. Yup. I’m sure that is why their values are 80-100M because they run fast LOL.
Ya Pioli was trash and didn’t do anything apparently he just showed up. ZERO credit should be given
Keep drinking that Redbird Koolaid kid 😂😂😂😂😂
imagine just 4million cuz he is Italian but can splash 20million on other young players abroad.
very stupid sets of management
Inter used to be the only Italian club with almost all players being foreigners.They were like Arsenal in Premier League.Only foreign players.I never thought I would see the day when Milan would become pro foreign only without Italian players.Very sad and sorry but owners are taking away the very identity of Italian clubs.I am for them bringing in the ruling to minimise foreign players in Italian clubs.
That is why Italy is struggling to develop strikers
You Are Right