Fiorentina professional
©IMAGO
Two weeks after collapsing during a Serie A game, Edoardo Bove spoke out on social media: “I’m fine and that’s the most important thing,” wrote the 22-year-old Fiorentina professional in an Instagram post. Post and also announced his comeback.
Bove thanked his fans and football colleagues around the world for their support – it gave him “incredible strength and courage”. “I felt surrounded by a positive energy that allowed me to remain calm and not feel loneliness.”
He wrote: “Football is a community of people united by the same passion, sharing moments of joy, emotion, anger, disappointment and suffering. It is precisely in these moments that I realize how authentic this sport is, how we are all united beyond results, competition or rivalry. Connected by a bond that, once formed, becomes stronger in difficult times and is almost unbreakable. A bond that gives you love and feelings that are difficult to explain. A bond that gives you the strength to overcome any obstacle.
(…) For this reason, I would like us all to strive not to forget the true essence of our sport, not to be overshadowed by its commercial side and not to take its authentic spirit for granted. Because despite everything, what happened that Sunday is a testament to the true side of football; the site that feeds on real emotions, personal stories and a strong bond between the players and the fans.”
Doctors implant defibrillator in Bove
On December 1st, Bove collapsed after about fifteen minutes of the home game against Inter Milan. It later emerged that he had suffered cardiac arrest. Bove, who is on loan to Fiorentina from Mats Hummels’ club AS Roma, is said to be suffering from inflammation of the heart muscle tissue.
The midfielder has now had a temporary defibrillator implanted, which will remain in place for a few more months. Whether he can then remove it and play football without it is still completely open. The U21 international was released from hospital on Friday.
Bove concluded his post with an announcement: “We’ll see each other again soon… On the pitch.” Should he keep the defibrillator, however, due to a strict passage in the Serie A regulations, this could mean the end of his sporting career in his home country. The Danish national player Christian Eriksen left Inter Milan after his collapse at the 2020 European Championships and returned to England, where professional sports with a defibrillator are allowed.