Davide Astori facts for kids
Astori with Italy in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 7 January 1987 | ||
| Place of birth | San Giovanni Bianco, Italy | ||
| Date of death | 4 March 2018 (aged 31) | ||
| Place of death | Udine, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.88 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Pontisola | |||
| 2001–2006 | AC Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2008 | AC Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | → Pizzighettone (loan) | 25 | (1) |
| 2007–2008 | → Cremonese (loan) | 31 | (0) |
| 2008–2016 | Cagliari | 174 | (3) |
| 2014–2015 | → Roma (loan) | 24 | (1) |
| 2015–2016 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 33 | (0) |
| 2016–2018 | Fiorentina | 58 | (3) |
| Total | 345 | (8) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2005 | Italy U18 | 4 | (0) |
| 2011–2017 | Italy | 14 | (1) |
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Davide Astori (born 7 January 1987 – died 4 March 2018) was an Italian professional footballer. He played as a central defender.
Davide started his football journey in youth teams like Pontisola and AC Milan. He then played for Pizzighettone and Cremonese on loan. In 2008, he joined Cagliari, where he became a key player. Later, he played for Roma and Fiorentina. He became the captain of Fiorentina in 2017.
Astori also played for the Italian national team. He made his debut in 2011 and played 14 games, scoring one goal. He won a bronze medal with Italy at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Sadly, Davide Astori passed away on 4 March 2018, due to a sudden heart problem.
Contents
Club Career: Davide Astori's Journey
Early Football Days
Davide Astori grew up in the province of Bergamo, Italy. He began playing football with a local team called Pontisola. In 2001, he joined the famous club AC Milan. He spent five years learning and growing in their youth academy.
Astori later shared how much he valued his time there. He said it was a great adventure to wear the AC Milan shirt. He remembered the fun trips and training with his teammates. He always believed in himself and worked hard to improve each year.
Before joining bigger clubs, Astori was loaned to two Serie C1 teams. He played for Pizzighettone in the 2006–07 season. Then, he played for Cremonese in the 2007–08 season.
Playing for Cagliari
In 2008, Astori moved to Serie A club Cagliari. He joined them in a special deal with AC Milan. Davide was very excited to join Cagliari. He wanted to challenge himself and grow as a player.
He made his first game in Italy's top league on 14 September 2008. This was against Siena. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 loss. In his first season, he played 11 games.
In the 2009–10 season, Astori became a regular player. He played as a central defender. He helped Cagliari keep three clean sheets in a row. On 31 January 2010, he scored his first goal for the club. It was in a 2–2 draw against Fiorentina. He scored again a month later against Chievo. That season, he played 35 games and scored two goals.
Cagliari fully signed Astori from AC Milan in 2011. He continued to be a strong defender for the team. In October 2011, he broke his foot during a match. This injury kept him out for three months. He returned in January 2012 and scored his first goal of the season against Inter Milan. He played 29 games that season.
In 2012, Astori decided to stay with Cagliari. He turned down a big offer from a Russian team. He wanted to achieve his goals with Cagliari. He even captained the team for the first time in April 2013. He played 33 games that season.
He continued to be a key player and captain for Cagliari in the 2013–14 season. He played 35 games that year.
Time at Roma
On 24 July 2014, Astori joined Roma on a loan deal for one season. Roma had the option to buy him permanently.
He made his debut for Roma in the first game of the season. They won 2–0 against Fiorentina. He also played in the UEFA Champions League for the first time. This was a big 5–1 win against CSKA Moscow. He scored his first goal for Roma on 6 January 2015. It was the only goal in a win against Udinese.
During his time at Roma, Astori played 30 games and scored one goal. Roma finished second in the league that season. After the season, Roma decided not to sign him permanently.
Joining Fiorentina
On 4 August 2015, Astori moved to Fiorentina. He joined them on loan with a plan to buy him later. He was given the number 13 shirt.
He played his first game for Fiorentina on 23 August. They won 2–0 against AC Milan. Davide quickly became a regular player as a central defender. He played in all eight of Fiorentina's UEFA Europa League matches that season. He played 42 games in total that year. Fiorentina then signed him permanently.
In the 2016–17 season, Astori continued to be a strong player. He scored his first goal for the club on 26 October 2016. It was in a 1–1 draw against Crotone. He also scored against Inter Milan in a thrilling 5–4 win. He played 40 games and scored two goals that season.
For the 2017–18 season, Astori was named the team captain. This was a great honor. He captained his first game against Inter Milan. On 10 September 2017, he scored his first goal of the season. It was in a big 5–0 win against Hellas Verona. He played in every match until January 2018. His last game for Fiorentina was on 25 February 2018. They won 1–0 against Chievo.
International Career: Playing for Italy
Davide Astori also played for Italy's national teams. He played 4 games for the under-18 team starting in 2004.
He got his first call-up for the senior team in 2010. He made his full debut for Italy on 29 March 2011. This was in a friendly match against Ukraine. He was sent off in that game after getting two yellow cards.
Astori was part of the Italy squad for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Italy reached the semi-finals. On 30 June 2013, Astori scored his only international goal. It was against Uruguay in the third-place match. Italy won the bronze medal after a penalty shootout. He was the first Cagliari player to score for Italy in 40 years!
He played his last international match for Italy on 5 September 2017. Italy won 1–0 against Israel. In total, Astori played 14 games for Italy between 2011 and 2017.
Style of Play
Davide Astori was a tall and strong central defender. He was left-footed and very good at heading the ball. This made him a threat when his team had corner kicks or free kicks. He was known for being consistent and focused.
Even though he wasn't the fastest, he was a great leader on the field. He had good positioning and could organize his team's defense. He was also good at passing the ball and starting attacks from the back. He could play well in different defensive setups.
Personal Life
Davide Astori loved his hometown area of Bergamo. He said it was a special place where he grew up and where his family lived.
He also had interests outside of football. He enjoyed design, especially interior design. His brother was an architect, which helped spark his passion. He even brought design magazines to training camps.
Davide Astori had a partner named Francesca Fioretti. They had a daughter named Vittoria, who was two years old when he passed away. Their daughter was born in Florence.
Death and Legacy
On 4 March 2018, Davide Astori sadly passed away in his sleep. He was in a hotel in Udine before a match. An autopsy later showed that he died from a sudden heart problem. Fiorentina announced the sad news, saying they were deeply shocked.
His death caused great sadness in the football world. Many coaches and players shared their respects. All Serie A and Serie B matches that day were postponed. UEFA also announced a minute of silence before all European matches that week.
As a tribute to Davide, both Cagliari and Fiorentina decided to retire the number 13 jersey he wore. He was buried on 8 March 2018. In Fiorentina's next home game, the match was paused at the 13-minute mark. Children from both teams wore Astori's jersey to honor him. Fiorentina won the game, and the player who scored celebrated by saluting a T-shirt with Astori's picture.
Later that month, Fiorentina renamed their training ground "Centro Sportivo Davide Astori" in his honor. The Italian national team also wore shirts with "Davide sempre con noi" (Davide always with us) and the number 13. Fiorentina's new captain was allowed to wear a special armband to remember Astori. Later, Astori was inducted into the Fiorentina Hall of Fame.
To mark one year since his passing, all Serie A matches on 2 and 3 March 2019 were stopped at the 13th minute.
In 2019, a new "Fair Play Award" was created in memory of Astori. In 2021, a former sports consultant for Fiorentina was found responsible for not identifying Astori's heart condition. This ruling acknowledged the cause of his death.
After Italy won the UEFA Euro 2020, team captain Giorgio Chiellini dedicated their victory to Davide Astori. He said the team wished Astori could have been there with them.
Honours
- Italy
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 2013 (bronze medal)
- Individual
- Fiorentina Hall of Fame: 2018
See also
In Spanish: Davide Astori para niños
