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Davide AstoriItalian footballer, central defender
Date of Birth: 07.01.1978
Country:  Italy |
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Biography of Davide Astori
Davide Astori was an Italian footballer and a central defender. He is best known for his performances with "Cagliari," "Roma," and "Fiorentina," as well as the Italian national team. He began his football career at the Portizola club academy in his hometown of Bergamo. In 2001, he joined AC Milan's youth team.
During the 2005/2007 season, Astori was loaned out to Pizzighettone, where he played 27 games and scored 1 goal. The following year, he was loaned to Serie C1 club Cremonese, reaching the playoffs but losing to Chieti. In the summer of 2008, Astori was purchased by Cagliari, with the club paying Milan 1.2 million euros for half of his rights. He made his debut for the team on September 14th in a Serie A match against Siena. In his first season with the club, he played 10 games.
The next year, Astori became a regular player in Cagliari's starting lineup, playing 34 matches and scoring 2 goals against Fiorentina and Chievo, which caught the attention of Milan, who still owned part of his contract. On June 25th, 2010, Cagliari and Milan signed an agreement to extend Astori's performances with the club. However, Astori had previously stated that he would "return to Milan without hesitation." In the summer of 2011, Milan wanted to bring him back, but due to complicated relationships between AC Milan's vice-president, Adriano Galliani, and Cagliari's president, Massimo Cellino, the deal did not materialize. Furthermore, on June 22nd, Cagliari bought the remaining 50% of Astori's contract.
On October 23rd, Astori suffered a broken tibia in a collision with Ezequiel Lavezzi during a match against Napoli, leading to a 2.5-month absence from the field. In February, two Russian clubs, Spartak Moscow and Anzhi Makhachkala, expressed interest in signing the defender, with Anzhi offering €15 million. Astori was ready to join Spartak Moscow, but Cagliari's president, Massimo Cellino, refused to make the deal, not wanting to lose his leading player midway through the season.
International Career
Astori began his international career with the Italian U-18 team, playing 4 games in 2004. However, he did not play for Italy in subsequent age categories. On August 6th, 2010, Astori was called up to the senior national team for a match against Ivory Coast but did not play. He made his debut for the national team on March 29th, 2011, in a friendly match against Ukraine but was sent off in the 75th minute. On June 30th, 2013, he played for Italy in the third-place match against Uruguay in the FIFA Confederations Cup, scoring a goal in the 24th minute.
Death
Astori passed away in his sleep on March 4th, 2018, at the age of 32 in Udine, Italy. He was found dead in his hotel room before a match against Udinese. Representatives from Fiorentina stated that his death was caused by a "sudden illness," which was later determined to be bradyarrhythmia (heart rate below 60 beats per minute) following an autopsy. Astori was laid to rest on March 8th, with 7,000 Fiorentina fans and representatives from other clubs attending the funeral. Fiorentina and Cagliari decided to retire the number 13, which he wore, from use among players.
