Riccardo Calafiori arrived at Arsenal from Bologna for £42 million after a solid season for both club and country.
The Italian defender can play as both a centre back and left back, providing versatility that remains a in – demand quality with the number of fixtures teams in European competitions have to play this season.
Calafiori has adapted to football in England well and is in solid form. In his 116 minutes wearing the red of Arsenal, scoring a screamer from outside the box and helping Arsenal secure a point against Man City away from home has to be not just a personal highlight, but one of the moments of the season already.
But what the Italian defender is struggling to do is adapt to the harsh British weather conditions.
Having grown up in Rome, and then moving to Bolgona, where the winters are mild and the sun regularly shines even in the colder months, Calafiori has now found himself at the mercy of London’s notorious weather, and this weather might just be his biggest challenge up until now.
The cold winds and persistent rain have already made an impact, as seen in a clip emerging from Arsenal’s 5-1 win over Bolton in the EFL Cup.
Calafiori was brought off in minute 70, after the game was pretty much done and dusted, and on the bench it was a three-way battle between Calafiori, his jacket, and the terrible weather.
He is sitting on the bench vigorously trying to get his jacket zipped up till the top to warm himself after playing in some torrential rain for 70 minutes. He does eventually manage to cover himself fully, zipping up till his mouth ensuring that there’s not a drop of rain touching him.
there’s rice and lewis-skelly so unfazed by the weather and then calafiori who is struggling so much 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/jSk5ICBfAg
This entire event reminded some fans of an Arsenal legend in Arsene Wenger, who had his fair share if issues with zips of puffer coats and London weather.
While all this was happening on the bench with Calafiori, sat on his left was Declan Rice who was unaffected by the terrible rain, having a laugh with his other teammates.
And on his right, 18 year old Myles Lewis – Skelly who had a stern look, and watched the game with full focus, unfazed by the rain.
Both Skelly and Rice are not just English natives but have also spent a lot of time in London, Skelly with Arsenal’s academy and Declan Rice with West Ham. At this point the rain is just another day for both of them.
Calafiori’s discomfort wasn’t just physical; his face said it all, seemingly questioning how anyone could perform under such conditions.
Riccardo Calafiori of Arsenal beats Bernardo Silva of Manchester City to win the defensive header during the Premier League match Manchester City vs Arsenal at Etihad Stadium.
The moment is a reminder of one of English football’s most iconic phrases: “Can he do it on a rainy night in Stoke?”
A litmus tests of sorts for many foreign players—can they handle the game when it’s not on a pristine, sun-drenched pitch but instead under relentless rain, with the wind howling, and every touch of the ball feeling like a challenge in itself?
While Stoke City may not be the benchmark for Premier League intensity anymore, the saying still holds value. Rainy, cold nights are a test of both physical and mental fortitude, and for many players coming from sunnier climes, it’s one of the more underrated challenges.
The truth is Calafiori is not the first player who’s had his troubles with the British weather and definitely won’t be the last.
Uruguayan Lucas Torreira also opened up about his struggles during his time at Arsenal, talking about the weather in London and coming from a place where sun, sand and beaches were a plenty.
“The climate is difficult as well. You go out in the morning and it is cloudy, you arrive late to your home and it is cloudy. It is strange a little bit, the sun, the more of us that we are here and we are accustomed to having always or almost always the sun.”
Calafiori’s moment on the bench caught the eyes of fans and gave us a good laugh, maybe we’ll revisit this very moment towards the end of Riccardo Calafiori’s Arsenal tenure, at a time when he might have a few choice words about the weather like Torreira did.
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