Davide Astori

Early career

Born and raised in the province of Bergamo, Astori started playing football with local team Pontisola before joining AC Milan in 2001. He spent five years in the club's youth system. Astori later reflected on his development, saying: "After a year of courtship, of auditions, I came to wear the AC Milan shirt with the very young regional players. Along with twelve, thirteen new players. There was always a lot of change. I'm from San Giovanni Bianco, so it was already an adventure. But the greatest memories are precisely due to transfers with teammates, making the return from training. They were beautiful years, lived positively, for a boy there was no better experience. Honestly, it is difficult to get out of balance, because in fifty professional clubs there are twenty boys for each team in the youth sector, so every word is illusory. I have always believed in it and hoped for it, growing from year to year until it becomes one." Astori was sent on two consecutive loan spells to Serie C1 clubs Pizzighettone and Cremonese for the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons, respectively.

Cagliari

At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Astori was signed by Serie A club Cagliari in a co-ownership deal with Milan, for €1 million. Upon joining the club, he said: "For me, it's an adventure which I undertake with great desire to test myself, learn and grow. I will be ready if and when the coach's call arrives." Astori made his official debut in the top-flight during…

Astori played 4 games for Italy's under-18 team, beginning in 2004. He did not receive any further call-up at higher levels of youth international football. Astori received his first call-up for the senior team under newly appointed coach Cesare Prandelli who named him in the squad for a friendly against Ivory Coast, to be played on 10 August 2010; however, he was left on the bench as an unused substitute. He made his full debut for Italy on 29 March 2011, in a 2–0 friendly win against Ukraine in Kyiv. He came on as a 17th-minute substitute for the injured Giorgio Chiellini but was sent off with 15 minutes remaining in the second half after receiving two yellow cards. A year later, Astori was named in the provisional 32-man squad ahead of the UEFA Euro 2012. However, he was subsequently cut from the squad on 28 May 2012. But following Andrea Barzagli's injury, there were speculation on whether Astori would be Barzagli's replacement. Eventually, Barzagli was kept in the squad and Astori stayed with Italy's training camp until 9 June 2012. Two months later, Astori was called up to the Italy and started the whole game, in a 2–1 loss against England on 15 August 2012. Astori was a member of the 23-man Italy squad that took part at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup under Prandelli; Italy reached the semi-finals, only to suffer a penalty shoot-out defeat to Spain following a 0–0 draw after extra time, on 27 June 2013. On 30 June 2013, Astori scored the opener against Uruguay in the…

Astori was a tall and physically strong left-footed central defender, with good aerial ability and heading accuracy, which made him a goal threat on offensive set pieces; although he was not the quickest defender, he also possessed good leadership qualities, positional sense, organisational skills, distribution, and technique, which enabled him to play the ball out or start attacking plays from the back. As a defender, he was comfortable playing as left-sided centre-back in both a three-man or a four-man defensive line.

Astori spoke about his fondness of Bergamo, saying: "Let's say it's always nice, I leave my childhood, my family. It is a place that I will cherish in my life." He also spoke about his interests outside of football, saying: "More design because it is less difficult to understand (jokes, ed). Interior design, my brother is an architect. I started to bring some design magazines to training camp with me, my passion started." Astori and his partner Francesca Fioretti had a daughter, Vittoria, who was two years old at the time of his death. Their daughter was born in Florence.