Edoardo Bove is facing the end of his career in Italy after suffering cardiac arrest for Fiorentina against Inter Milan last week.
Bove was rushed to hospital after falling to the ground untouched in the 16th minute of the match, but it was subsequently abandoned.
To regulate any further changes in his heart rate, the 22-year-old will be fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) – the same device that Man United midfielder Christian Eriksen has had since he also suffered cardiac arrest while playing for Denmark at the European Championship. 2020.
The ICD is connected to the heart via wires and sends an electrical impulse to correct irregular rhythms.
Italy bans players at both amateur and professional levels from competing if they have significant heart defects.
Serie A rules prevent players from playing competitively with a defibrillator, meaning an exit from Fiorentina is all but certain, but Bove could theoretically continue his career in another country.
For example, Girona defender Daley Blind also received an ICD after he developed myocarditis at Ajax in 2019, but he continues to play professionally for club and country.
Fiorentina's general manager Alessandro Ferrari has now confirmed that Bove's recovery is going well and that the midfielder has been moved from intensive care to another department of the hospital.
'Edoardo is doing well, he is recovering and we are happy. We must be patient and respect him. He changed [hospital] So things are getting better,” Ferrari told Italian broadcaster Mediaset on Wednesday ahead of the cup match between Fiorentina and Empoli.
Ahead of the Coppa Italia match, which saw Empoli triumph 4-3 on penalties after a 2-2 draw between the two sides, Fiorentina staff, players and fans showed their support for Bove in heartfelt scenes at the Artemio Franchi Stadium.
The spectators produced a tifo display in honor of Bove, colorfully displaying a banner with the number 4 – his equipment number – while others held up scarves to show their support.
Fiorentina players held up banners on the pitch before kick-off that read: 'Now we are waiting for you.'
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Bove regained consciousness after arriving at Careggi Hospital in Florence and doctors assured him that his 'life was not in danger'.
Bové was rented from Roma at Fiorentina this summer for a season, with the option to make the transfer permanent. He has played fourteen times so far.
Bove, an Italy international, has played for his country in every age group, up to and including the Under-21s, but is yet to be called up to the senior set-up.
Comments