Bove: ‘I understand how thin the line between life and death is’ | OneFootball

Fiorentina midfielder Edoardo Bove was invited on stage for the 75th annual Sanremo Music festival in Italy on Saturday, where he spoke about his life-threatening medical emergency on the pitch against Inter earlier in the season, his life since and the life lessons he has learned along the way.

“Like a singer who has lost their voice, I feel incomplete,” the 22-year-old said of his inability to play professionally.

Bove collapsed on the pitch in the 17th minute of the Serie A match between Fiorentina and Inter on December 1, and was rushed to the nearby Careggi hospital in the city of Florence within the space of just over 10 minutes.

He was admitted to intensive care, had an internal defibrillator fitted and was discharged 10 days later. With the implant fitted, he is not currently able to play professionally in Italy as per the league’s regulations on pacemakers and defibrillators.

Bove: ‘Football is my form of expressison, it’s tough without it’

“I’ve been living through this period with ups and downs,” Bove told the audience at Sanremo, where he had been invited by the event’s artistic director, Claudio Conti.

FLORENCE, ITALY – DECEMBER 23: Edoardo Bove of ACF Fiorentina follows the warm-up from the bench during the Serie A match between Fiorentina and Udinese at Stadio Artemio Franchi on December 23, 2024 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

“Football is my form of expression and not being able to do it is tough. It’s like a singer who has lost their voice, I feel incomplete.”

“The affection from the public was incredible. It also made me understand the severity of the situation. I woke up in hospital without remembering a thing. Only by looking at the others did I understand what had happened.

“They were relieved to see me and this made me realise how big the fear was. The incident made me understand how thin the line between life and death is.”