Bologna’s Riccardo Calafiori: “It was wonderful to return to the Olimpico and face my ex-teammates.”

Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori recounted his recent return to the Stadio Olimpico where he faced his boyhood club, Roma, in an impressive win over the hosts.

In an interview with BFC Week, Calafiori discussed the emotions behind playing in his former stadium in front of a packed home crowd.

“Before the match I prepared myself. I knew that from a mental standpoint playing in this setting could end up affecting me,” said the young centreback. “I could have suffered more than others because of it.”

“Apart from the first tense minutes I managed to play well and it was wonderful to play against my former teammates in my old stadium.”

“The match was great and the result helped us get out of a minor slump we were in,” he added.