Davide Astori: Captain Forever

The first week of March is not just like any other for a Fiorentina supporter. It resonates with the memory of Davide Astori, who was not only our Captain, he was also a leader in the truest sense.

I remember that Sunday morning very clearly. I did not wake up early, as usual. I went to the kitchen, grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. There was a famous Italian sports presenter speaking, but without the same old joyful atmosphere of a game. She was visibly touched and then she said the words I will never forget: "And so the captain of Fiorentina is dead". 

I shouted: "NO!" I was in total shock, I could not believe it. I thought it must be some kind of hidden camera moment but then they showed the body being taken away from the hotel and the tragedy became painfully real.

I called my mother and she said that she heard the news on the radio. She had to pull over the car because she could not believe it either. She cried. When I opened Twitter, the feed was full of other Fiorentina fans in disbelief. Opening Whatsapp, I found messages from friends telling me the same heartbreaking news.

Everyone in Florence was crying that day.

We saw on the local news that the Curva Fiesole ultras had hung a banner and scarves at the stadium gate; by which point, more fans had begun to do the same. As soon as my mother got home, we decided to bring a purple seedling to the stadium as our way to honour the Captain.

As we arrived, the gate was already covered with purple scarves and objects, each carrying a message. Walking past this wall filled with esteem and love made our eyes teary. We were still in disbelief that we were there to remember a guy who we had seen recently scoring for our team and talking to camera. We thought he would be our Captain for a long time to come.

We placed our plant there and stayed for a few minutes, quietly praying. I remember vividly looking behind me and seeing a mother with a baby, crying and wiping her tears. I don't know if that mom was a fan or just there with her child, but everyone in Florence was crying that day.

Davide Astori's family later agreed to have a funeral in Florence, perhaps sensing all the love this city had given (and received) from him. The Basilica of Santa Croce was not only full inside, but outside, despite the rain. Hundreds, if not thousands, gathered to witness the final farewell to our forever Captain. The casket's journey to the church was accompanied by thousands of people on the streets silently paying their respect, many who had taken leave from work or had come from out of town.

I was at the first match after Astori's death, Fiorentina-Benevento, and I have never seen, even for the most important of matches, the Stadio Franchi so full. The rain had not stopped the love of an entire city for its Captain.

Perhaps it is because Florence and Fiorentina feel like one big family, or perhaps because in Davide Astori the city had truly found a Captain with a capital C, worthy of the armband he wore, but his loss seriously shook all of us. I treasure my jersey with his name printed on the back and wear it with great pride.

Despite all the murals, titled stadiums, charitable initiatives, and cheers in the 13th minute of every home game, it still does not seem enough to express what we lost on that March 4th. If Davide Astori were still with us, he would probably still be leading the team. He would have led us in the Italian Cup and Conference League finals last year, and who knows how it would have gone...

Florence has changed but one thing will never change, at the reading of the lineup in response to "and with jersey number 13, Captain forever" the stadium will shout "DAVIDE ASTORI".