Sad news comes from Italy as Fiorentina captain, Davide Astori, dies at the age of 31. According to the chief prosecutor of Udine, the city where this tragedy happened, Astori’s sudden death came as a result of a heart attack he suffered in the sleep.
Following the tragic news, Fiorentina filed a request for postponing the duel with Udinese. Cagliari, a team in which Astori spend the most of his professional career, also requested a postponement of their duel with Genoa, after which, Serie A officials decided to postpone the whole all of Sunday’s matches. This includes the derby match AC Milan vs. Inter as well, which was to take place on Sunday evening.
Who Was Davide Astori (1987-2018)?
Born and raised in San Giovanni Bianco, a village in Northern Italy some 70 kilometers to the north of Milan, Astori started his footballing career in AC Milan’s youth academy. While a member of AC Milan, he was loaned out to two lower-league teams, Pizzighettone and Cremonese, before signing a contract with Cagliari in 2008.
That’s where he established himself as a reliable left-footed center back particularly famous for being dominant in aerial duels. Astori’s good form made him awake the interest of bigger clubs. After making 179 appearances for Cagliari, Astori went on a season-long loan spell at AS Roma, before committing himself to Fiorentina.
His first season at Viola was a loan deal, after which he joined the club permanently. Quickly after signing the contract, he became one of their regular players, making a total of 109 appearances. After former captains, Borja Valero and Gonzalo Rodríguez parted ways with Fiorentina, the club appointed Astori as the team captain.
The last match he played for Fiorentina was a Serie A game against Chievo, which his team won 1-0. The only goal was scored by Biraghi after receiving an assist from Davide Astori.
