Fiorentina star Edoardo Bove breaks down in tears as he makes an emotional return just months after suffering cardiac arrest on the pitch

Daily Mail​

04-05-2025

Fiorentina star Edoardo Bove made his return to parent club Roma on Sunday - just months after collapsing on the pitch.
Bove, 22, was rushed to hospital in December after falling to the floor untouched in the 16th minute of a Serie A match, which was subsequently abandoned.
Players and staff had formed a wall around Bove while medical staff tended to him. Reports in Italy claim that a defibrillator was used to restart Bove's heart before the footballer was taken to the intensive care unit of the Careggi hospital in Florence.
The midfielder has since been on the road to recovery and has expressed his aim to be back in action next season.
Bove, who has been on loan at Fiorentina since last summer and remains contracted to Roma until 2028, made an appearance during the two sides' showdown on Sunday.
Though not yet fit to play, he joined his teammates for the match at Stadio Olimpico and received a warm, emotional welcome.
As he approached the iconic Curva Sud, Bove was greeted with a thunderous ovation, chants of his name ringing out across the stadium.
The emotional moment overwhelmed the midfielder, who was visibly moved and wiped away tears as he took in the rapturous reception from the supporters who have watched him grow from academy talent to first-team regular.
One banner in the stands read: 'Edoardo, don't give up, keep dreaming.'
Bove's last appearance came during Fiorentina's 3-0 win over Inter in February, when he made a 17-minute cameo.
However, Bove has not featured for the club since being fitted with an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD), as Serie A rules forbid individuals wearing one from playing.
Earlier this year, Bove ade his intention to return to the pitch clear, saying: 'I know that this is a temporary condition. My goal is to return to playing in June.
'I still have a few (medical) visits to do, the doctors have to cross-reference all of the data.'
On how being fitted with a Defibrillator could affect his career, he added: 'If I decide to keep it, I won't be able to play in Italy.
'Here, health comes before the individual, I'm not saying that the rule is wrong.
'Abroad, yes, (it is possible to play) practically everywhere. Football is too important for me, I can't allow myself to give up like this.
'I'll try again, without a shadow of a doubt. I will also see how I am, If I'm afraid, if I don't feel calm, then everything will change.'
Christian Eriksen was an Inter Milan player when he collapsed playing for Denmark at Euro 2020, and subsequently had to leave the club for Brentford due to the ruling.
England could therefore be an option for Bove if a resolution is not found, with the young midfielder coming close to a move to Nottingham Forest in the summer, according to reports.
'It all reached a head on August 30, when she [ex-Roma chief executive Lina Souloukou] wanted to push him to accept the sale to Nottingham Forest for €8m (£6.6m),' Bove's agent Diego Tavano told Corriere dello Sport ahead of the January transfer window..
'There was also the idea of a loan to Olympiacos from Nottingham, but I considered that transfer value to be far below his real worth.
'We fought hard and I reassured her, I would find a situation to suit everyone and get more money for the club. That solution for us was only Fiorentina. [Daniele] De Rossi, in any case, always advised the club to give Edo away with an option to bring him back.'