ITALY
Fiorentina legend, Batistuta, pens moving letter to Davide Astori
"I always thought that the history of the purple had just one captain, my friend Giancarlo Antognoni. From now, we will always have two, always," Batistuta writes.
Davide Astori's death has led an outpouring of support for his family and tributes to the fallen footballer. The latest comes from a legend at Fiorentina, where Astori plied his trade for the last two years of his life. Gabriel Batistuta has written a letter that was published by ANSA.
This is an excerpt from that letter:
"I am on the other side of the world but I would like to be in Florence to say goodbye to Davide with my people. When the terrible news arrived of the death of our captain, I had the same reaction: I was in shock, speechless, for a death without an answer. A footballer that dies in their sleep is something inexplicable, unbelievable and unacceptable. A trauma that affects the community and, particularly, our world."
"I didn't know Davide personally but my friends from Fiorentina always . On the field, they spoke about his class and ability, off the pitch he was even greater. The told me that he was always busy with chartibale tasks in the dressing room without talking about it. Davide was completely exemplary."
"I always thought that the history of the purple had just one captain, my friend Giancarlo Antognoni. From now, we will always have two, always. We will try to honour the memory of Davide as best we can and support Francesca, Vittoria and his family. A hug from all of Fiorentina and a kiss from Florence."
