Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove was taken off the pitch in an ambulance after collapsing shortly after the start of their Serie A match against Inter Milan on Sunday.
Bove was taken off the pitch in an ambulance after collapsing shortly after the start of their Serie A match against Inter Milan. Players and staff immediately formed a wall around as medical staff tended to Bove.
The 22-year-old was seemingly bending down to take off his boot when he suddenly collapsed, causing a stoppage in play. Bove was taken away in an ambulance, after which the referee asked the players to leave the pitch and return to the dressing room. The match was suspended following the 17th minute.
Bove’s teammates and opponents alike were seen crying with their hands on their heads as the horrific scenes played out at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence. A youth product of Roma, Bove represented the senior side in his professional career for three years since 2021 across 65 appearances before making a one-year loan move to Fiorentina this season. In December 2023, Bove had signed a five-year contract extension until 2028.
The incident drew a scary parallel to scenes when Denmark and Manchester United mid-fielder Christian Eriksen collapsed on the ground during a Euro 2020 game against Finland, due to a cardiac arrest. The then-Inter star was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation before being fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator.
Eriksen made a return to football eight months later with a Premier League switch to Brentford and to United the following season.
With Reuters inputs