The football world was shocked to hear the tragic news of Fiorentina defender, Davide Astori’s passing just hours before the Serie A fixture against Udinese on Sunday. The 31-year-old’s death will undergo further investigation due to the unusual nature of it but for the time-being, it has been concluded to have been caused by a ‘sudden illness’.
WATCH: Antonio Conte's touching tribute to Fiorentina captain, Davide Astori, who he managed when with the national team. 😪👏🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/UhYTqrV0UB
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) March 4, 2018
Every fan of the beautiful game will mourn the loss of a young individual who graced the sport with unequivocal effort and a rare sense of loyalty towards his teammates. Astori was an exemplary character whose remarkable professionalism will leave a lasting impression in top-flight football.
Astori refused to turn his back on the club who provided him with the opportunity to prove his worth – Cagliari. When heavy interests started to pour in from the elites of the European stage like Manchester United, the Bergamo-born centre-half decided to side with Sardinia and went on to make 174 appearances across all competitions.
Astori came into the limelight with Cagliari and later furthered his talents by appearing regularly for AS Roma. He then moved to sign with Fiorentina on a loan deal in the summer of 2015. The Violas had an obligation to buy and they exercised that offer after an impressive debut season of 42 appearances.
Astori was the very definition of simplicity while displaying sheer elegance at the same time. The captain’s armband was his lifelong calling having displayed great leadership skills even when he was without one.
He stood at 6 feet 2 inches tall and was adept at winning contested aerial and ground duels. He fitted the back-three formation perfectly by taking the anchor role in the centre but was capable of appearing in the back-four as well.
A domineering voice at the back always pushes a team to perform better going forward and Astori was exactly that for the Violas. He had the marks of a traditional Italian centre-half along with the technical abilities required to succeed in the modern game. What he was not – a present-day centre-half who will take major responsibility in distributing the ball towards his teammates.
However, that was not exactly a shortcoming as he filled out his duties in every other aspect when called upon. That exact talent earned him the illustrious call-up to the Italian national team on August 2010 against Ivory Coast. He made his full debut against Ukraine on 29 March 2011 and scored his only goal for the national team against Uruguay in the 3rd place match of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
While Juventus and AC Milan can be credited by filling up the majority of the Italian backline, all the merit goes to Astori for fighting his way to 14 senior caps alongside the likes of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
Astori is a veteran of the Italian game whose memories will be survived by his 2-year-old daughter, Vittoria and longtime partner, Francesca. We at T4O would like to join his family and the rest of the world in mourning the death of this wonderful individual who delighted us by taking the pitch at the highest level of European football. Let all our thoughts resonate in the words of Astori’s former teammate, Carlos Sanchez – “Rest in peace, Captain.”
