Calafiori Reveals Arsenal Plane Talks About Skipping Title Parade

Riccardo Calafiori has revealed that some Arsenal players did not want to go ahead with last season’s Premier League title parade, after it was scheduled for the morning after their Champions League final defeat, speaking to the Arsenal website.

Mikel Arteta’s side ended their 22-year wait for the league title in May, before being beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain in the final in Budapest just days later.

The Gunners took an early lead after just six minutes through Kai Havertz, but Ousmane Dembélé converted a penalty to draw PSG level. There was nothing between the sides during extra time, but after Eberechi Eze and Nuno Mendes were both unable to convert for their sides, Gabriel Magalhães fired the deciding spot-kick over the bar.

The club’s open-top bus parade through north London took place the following day, and Calafiori admitted a few of the players discussed not wanting to take part as they flew back to England.

He said, ‘That was going to be a bit tricky, because it was the morning after losing the Champions League final, and a few of us were speaking on the plane back from Hungary saying we really don’t want to do this.’

However, the Italian revealed that the mood changed as soon as the players saw the scale of the crowds who had turned out to celebrate.

‘But then when we saw how many people were there, we just went crazy!’ he added. ‘In the end it was the right thing, because it was still an unbelievable season for us.’

Calafiori explained that the squad could not allow one defeat to overshadow what they had achieved, insisting the players had to see the bigger picture.

The title was the defender’s first major trophy, and he described the day it was secured as the best of his life. The players watched together at the training ground as Manchester City were held by Bournemouth, confirming Arsenal as champions, and the occasion was made even more special as it fell on Calafiori’s birthday.

He admitted that, unlike many things in life that fail to live up to expectations, winning the league was even better than he had dreamed, describing it as a huge release for the whole club.

Calafiori joined Arsenal from Bologna in the summer of 2024, following an impressive European Championship with Italy. His time in north London has been disrupted by injuries, with the defender sitting out 44 matches since his arrival, but he played his part in the title-winning campaign and has started the new season strongly.

He has registered five goal involvements in ten games for club and country this season, including the equaliser in Arsenal's comeback win over Leeds United on Saturday.