On May 20, 2024, Riccardo Calafiori had just drawn 3-3 with Juventus and was speaking live with DAZN. Reporter Giorgia Rossi was standing in front of him.
Then she appeared. Benedetta, his girlfriend, according to the Italian press. She came over with a simple idea: to give him a kiss on the cheek.
Calafiori turned his head. He took her by the face and kissed her on the mouth.
She was about to leave. He wouldn’t let her. He took her hand, pulled her over to his side, and she stayed there, hugging him, with her hand on his chest and back, while he tried to continue answering the questions.
The defender seemed to have lost track of the interview. It wasn’t just any day, either. Bologna were the surprise package of Serie A 2023-24 and would play in the Champions League the following season. That’s what the media were saying, and that night the team was celebrating it.
Some saw jealousy, a gesture to mark his territory. Others said it was misinterpreted, and that he was the one who held her back. Neither of them has said a word about it.