2nd October 2018.
A fateful day in the young life of promising Roma defender Riccardo Calafiori.
Having recently signed his first professional contract with the Italian giant, here lay stricken this mop-haired starlet, having suffered a horrendous knee injury, which threatened to end his career.
Calafiori even admitted recently that he thought his career was over.
Despite this, Calafiori refused to succumb to such a fate.
Instead, he pushed himself to his limits during his recovery and remarkably returned to the field less than two years later.
From the distinct possibilty of never being able to kick a ball again, Calafiori had arrived, doing what he loved and featuring regularly for the first team of his boyhood club.
Unfortunately, the young fullback's performances failed to convince.
Calafiori was often caught out of position, leading to the concession of goals, his worst night arguably being a 6-1 capitulation at the hands of Norwegian outfit Bodo Glimt in the Europa League, a defeat branded as a disgrace.
Former manager Jose Mourinho, a hard-line disciplinarian, with a reputation for ostracising young talent, attacked his players in his press conference, including Calafiori.
The young star was at a cross-roads in his fledgling career.
Unwanted by Roma and seen as a failure, Calafiori's once promising hype had now been dragged through the mire.
However, a lifeline presented itself in the form of FC Basel from Switzerland.
After Basel agreed a deal with Roma for 2.6 million euros, Calafiori seized the opportunity to remind everyone just how special he was.
It was the making of him.
Calm, composed and authoritative at the back, the headband-wearing 20 year-old catapulted Basel to a stunning run to the Conference League semi-finals, only losing in extra-time to a heavily-fancied Fiorentina.
Calafiori's career was back on track.
Once again he had admirers, even from the country which had previously viewed him as a pariah.
After a summer of heavy interest, Calafiori joined Thiago Motta's Bologna, a mid-table Italian club.
He was simply extraordinary, elevating them to an unprecedented 5th place finish and qualifying for the Champions League.
His displays were so impressive that his national side, Italy, decided to call up the unicorn defender- a player capable of carrying out numerous roles to an exemplary standard- for their upcoming Euros campaign.
He did not disappoint.
His front-foot, rambunctious style and silkiness on the ball had attracted attention, including Premier League title challengers Arsenal, with coach Mikel Arteta desperate to bolster an already watertight defence.
A deal was agreed for 42 million euros and Calafiori signed on the dotted line.
He has since become an instant fan favourite.
The centre-back/left-back hybrid has settled seamlessly into North London life, with both his ability and passion evident.
Regarded as one of the top young defenders in world football, Calafiori has taken the Premier League by storm and is embarking on an exciting campaign in which he hopes to help Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 21 years.
A truly inspiring story.
