Exit Astori : Fiorentina captain dies after cardiac arrest

                              Davide Astori

It was the usual pre-match night in a hotel.  The Fiorentina captain had had dinner with his team-mates in a squat, nondescript establishment on the outskirts of Udine in the foggy northeast of Italy.

He then retired to his room and, shortly thereafter, was joined by his goalkeeper, Marco Sportiello. At half past 11, Sportiello said goodnight and returned to his room.  He was the last person to see Astori alive.




When the player did not show up for breakfast the following morning, a member of the backroom staff was dispatched to Astori’s room.  And that’s where he was found.  Initially, it looked as if he was sleeping peacefully, perfectly motionless.  However, the terrible reality became apparent.  The team doctor, Luca Pengue, was summoned, followed by an ambulance and police.

Astori had suffered a cardiac arrest.  He was dead, at 31 years of age.