Federico Bernardeschi: 'Astori used to hug me first whenever I scored a goal'
Bernardeschi recently wrote his story down in the Players' Tribune and he talked about Astori and why he's so emotionally attached to his former teammate and the late Fiorentina skipper.
The Italian talked about his own struggles with heart problems as a 16-year-old and then said: "He was one of those guys who was just born to be a leader, you know? Every day at training, he showed us the way. As I got older, he would pull me aside before training sessions, we would pass the ball to warm up, and he’d give me a few pointers here and there.
"On road trips, we’d spend nights together watching other games or old movies. He was such a warm spirit, so loving and kind. When I became a consistent figure in the starting 11, I would turn to him when I’d get down on myself during a bad run of form.
"Whenever I would score, I would get an email from the team photographer with a picture of my goal celebration to post on social media. And in every photo you could see that the first person to come hug me was Davide.
"Davide died of cardiac arrest. And as often as I try not to think about my own heart issues, Davide’s death is a stark reminder: Time is short, and we who are alive are lucky, always."
For more transfer news and updates, click here