JAKARTA - Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori says Italy national team coach Gennaro Gattuso has called him more than his mother in the last four months.
This shows how much attention Gattuso pays to his players between the Azzurri's last match in November 2025 and the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers against Northern Ireland on Friday, March 27, 2026.
With the four-time world champion trying to avoid failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row, Gattuso traveled across Italy and several times abroad for dinners with his players and to keep the team's spirits up.
"For the past few months, I've been hearing more from him than my mother. When I'm away or not playing much, he keeps calling me."
"Dinner with him was very enjoyable. It gave us the opportunity to be together. It felt like dinner among friends," Calafiori said on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, local time at the Italian national team training complex, Coverciano, Florence.
In addition to Gattuso, the head of the Italian national team delegation, Gianluigi Buffon, and assistant coach Leonardo Bonucci - all former star players of the Azzurri - were also present at the dinner in London.
"There are many football anecdotes shared because the three of them have a lot of stories about football," said Calafiori.
Capable of seamlessly switching between left-back and centre-back, the 23-year-old Calafiori helped Bologna qualify for the Champions League before moving to Arsenal in 2024.
Now he is turning his attention to limiting Northern Ireland's set-piece opportunities, having recovered from a minor injury while defending Arsenal on Sunday, March 22, 2026.
"We need to be alert because they are dangerous. Free kicks can make a difference. The gap between teams is getting smaller in modern football. We also need to pay attention to loose balls," said Calafiori.
After becoming a regular in the Italian national team, Calafiori is still recovering from his absence for a month, after starting the season as a regular member of Arsenal's first team.
However, he is no longer a regular starter at Arsenal as Piero Hincapie has performed well during Calafiori's absence and retained his position now that the Italian is back.
Although Arsenal were defeated by Manchester City in the League Cup (Carabao Cup) final at the weekend, Calafiori still has a chance to win the English League with the Gunners nine points ahead of the Citizens. However, Calafiori also has another goal.
"Participating in the World Cup is my dream since I was a child. So, I can't wait to play this game," he said.
In addition to defeating Northern Ireland at home in Bergamo, Italy also needs to defeat Wales or Bosnia-Herzegovina in next week's away game to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
The Azzurri were eliminated in the last two World Cup qualifiers by Sweden and North Macedonia.
"We need to prepare ourselves as if this is a very important match. We know how sensitive this match is," said Calafiori.
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