Serie A shocked when Fiorentina captain suddenly died in hotel

• March 5, 2018 09:35

Center-back Davide Astori suddenly passed away in his sleep at the age of 31 before the match with Udinesse, round 27 of Serie A on the morning of March 4.

Fiorentina captain died of heart failure without any prior signs. Photo:Sun.

According to The Sun, a therapist discovered the Fiorentina captain dead in his hotel room while sleeping. Davide Astori is said to have suffered a "spontaneous cardiac arrest" - a form of heart failure - but there were no previous signs. The news of the 31-year-old star's death shocked Serie A on Sunday.

A Fiorentina spokesman said: "He did not come down to have breakfast with the team at 9:30 and did not answer the phone even though he was always the first to arrive. So we went to Davide's room to check and found that he had passed away in his sleep. Davide's body is being examined by forensic doctors."

The 31-year-old midfielder's passing leaves behind grief for his longtime girlfriend Francesca Fioretti and their two-year-old daughter. Photo:Instagram.

The tragedy occurred just a day after Astori and the entire Fiorentina team traveled to Udine to prepare for the match against host Udinese. All Serie A matches scheduled for March 4 were postponed after the sudden death of the Fiorentina captain. A series of famous players, former players and coaches in Italy sent their deep condolences to Fiorentina and Davide Astori's family.

The 31-year-old star left behind his long-time girlfriend Francesca Fioretti and their two-year-old daughter, Vittoria. The Fiorentina centre-back made 14 appearances for his country after being called up in 2011. Astori began his career at Milan in 2006 for two years but failed to make it into Serie A before making 174 appearances for Cagliari over eight years. He also played on loan at Roma and Fiorentina. Astori officially moved to Fiorentina in 2016.