It is truly amazing how dramatically emotions can change direction in an instant. After the joy of a something wonderful, the universe has a funny way of bringing us all back down to Earth. Sport has a profound effect on people and the sports world can often fill the role of an escape for people free from the world of divisive politics and the struggles that afflict people in their everyday lives. However, when the sadness of everyday life finds its way into the sporting world, the emotions of the game have a profound effect on people close to the sport. Death is the ultimate hardship and though it afflicts all of us at one time or another, the rollercoaster ride of sports makes some people seem invincible. The pervasive importance of sport in the world puts athletes on a pedestal. We see athletes as truly larger than life role models who are built for the intense rigors of competition. They amaze us with their feats of skill and strength so it is hard to conceptualize athletes as humans just like we are. Death in sports makes life seem all the more real.

Even after a week, I am still struggling to fully understand how I feel following the death of Fiorentina central defender Davide Astori. When I woke up on Sunday morning, it felt like every other Sunday. There would be soccer to watch from Italy and my team Juventus had won and gotten a huge boost in their quest for a seventh consecutive Serie A championship from AS Roma who ruined Napoli 4-2 following Juventus’ late 1-0 win over Lazio the day before. The joy of relief as Juventus are finally positioned to overtake Napoli in the race for the Scudetto quickly evaporated when I saw an alert on my phone pertaining to the death of Davide Astori. My jaw and my breakfast dropped simultaneously as my eyes honed in on “Fiorentina defender Davide Astori found dead in Udine hotel room.” The world seemed to just go around as I tried to confirm what happened because at first I did not believe it. Then I found that all games across Italy had been canceled for the day. Reality set in. A player that was well known, talented, and respected around Italy primarily and through the soccer world was no longer with us. That is not an easy thing to understand.

Davide Astori was an Italian central defender who captained AC Fiorentina, a team based in Firenze (Florence), Italy. He was a consistent member of the Italian national team and was well respected by fans of Serie A. He was relatively quiet and led more on the field by example than with words. He was a big part of Fiorentina as they began to rebuild their team during the transitional period that they entered last summer. Astori was found dead in his hotel room in Udine, Italy on the morning of the match between Fiorentina and Udinese. An autopsy discovered that he went through cardiac arrest during the night and that he died of natural causes. He was merely 31 years old and left behind his long term partner and his very young daughter. He also left behind thousands of fans, friends, former-teammates and a community that is hurting in his absence. Players, fans, coaches, press and members of the community were devastated by his departure.

Shortly after the news broke many players and coaches who knew Astori were quick to pay their respects and offer condolences. Antonio Conte who coached him with the national team said “He was a great player but especially a fantastic guy.” Players like Leonardo Bonucci, GianLuigi Buffon, Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata posted tributes to the Fiorentina captain. Former teammate Federico Bernardeschi said “I will miss you and I will always keep you in my heart. Watch over your family, your companion, and your little princess.” It is hard not to get emotional when you see the human side of the players. They personify themselves contrasting from the war machines that we see on gameday. Before all Champions League matches last week, UEFA held a moment of silence in solidarity for the deceased. Sadly, that silence was not respected by all as some fans whistled and cheered disrespectfully. At Wembley in London before the Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus FC match, the moment of silence was especially meaningful. Juventus players were very troubled by the loss of a tough competitor and friend and it took a time for them to find their footing in the match. After the game, Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini broke down in tears after Juventus won when he was asked about Astori in a post-match interview. The Fiorentina captain was an important friend to the Italian defender.

The most touching statements came from current teammates Milan Badelj who delivered Astori’s eulogy and one of his best friend on the team, Riccardo Saponara who posted a message that welled up lots of emotion in me. Saponara when translated to English said:

“Oh captain, my captain. Why did you not come down to have breakfast with us all? Why did you not pick up your shoes from outside of (goalkeeper) Marco Sportiello's room and then drink your orange juice, as usual?

Now they will tell us that life goes on, that we must look forward and pick ourselves up, but what will your absence taste like? Who will arrive every morning in the cafeteria, warming up everyone with his smile?

Who will ask us about what we did the previous night and have a laugh about it? Who will nurture the youngsters and give a sense of responsibility to the veterans? Who will form the circle to work on our 'two-touch play' and who will demolish Marco on the PlayStation?

With whom will we debate about Masterchef, Florence's restaurants, TV series or games played? Who will I lean on at lunch after a tiring training session? Come on, come back. You still need to finish watching La La Land to analyse like you did with all new movies.

Come back to Florence, they are waiting for you to renew your contract and acknowledge all the good and the positivity that you bring to us on a daily basis. Get out of that damn room, we will be waiting for you tomorrow at training.

In life there are people you've known forever but have never bonded with, and then there are the 'Davides', who warm to you immediately with a simple 'Welcome to Florence, Ricky'.

Wherever you are now, keep on defending our goal and enlighten the right path for us from the backline. Oh captain, my captain. Forever, my captain.” (@rickinara)

The sadness rings true. This man was a person, he had a daily routine and people whose lives he was part of on a daily basis. There will always be a void left in his absence. A seat at the lunch table left unfilled at team meals. A seat on the bus or plane to away games next to a friend still open. A locker abandoned in the dressing room. In it, boots and a uniform left as a ghastly reminder of the fleeting gift of life. It is a license that’s all too easy to revoke.

In the prime of his life, just 31 years under his belt, Astori sleeps without end. He has moved on and left behind a great sadness to so many who respected and knew him. He was an incredibly talented defender, great man and a role model to so many for his personality and work ethic. Though he never got to play that fateful match in Udine, he lives on in the hearts of many. His number 13 will forever be immortalized through retirement by Fiorentina and his former team Cagliari. His funeral last week was attended by over ten thousand who flooded the streets of Firenze decked out in black for mourning and the iconic purple color that represents the city and its beloved team. Legends of Italian football including Francesco Totti and Federico Bernardeschi were in attendance along with many Juventus players and other players from around Italy who came to pay their respects.

Life is delicate and losing great people is difficult when they mean so much to so many.

Davide Astori was by all accounts a great man who had a positive effect on so many people each day. May he always be remembered. Forza Fiorentina in this dire situation. Sadly, life continues and they have to continue to play for their captain but the road ahead is not easy. Grief and sadness are part of the human condition and these players have certainly endured a tragedy that is difficult to comprehend. I wish all the best to the Fiorentina team, the Astori family and to his wife and daughter. His legacy will live on. RIP Davide Astori 1987-2018.