A giant banner reading "Ciao Captain" is hanged on the fence of Fiorentina's stadium, on March 4, 2018 in Florence. AFP / Claudio GIOVANNINI
Fiorentina and Cagliari will retire the number 13 shirt worn by defender Davide Astori after the Italy international died of a sudden illness over the weekend at the age of 31, the Italian clubs said on Tuesday.
Astori, who made 289 Serie A appearances in 10 seasons and played 14 times for the national team, joined Fiorentina on loan in 2015. The club signed him outright one year later and he went on to become their captain.
He previously spent six seasons at Cagliari and one on loan at AS Roma.
"In honour of Davide #Astori's memory, @CagliariCalcio and #ACFFiorentina have decided to retire the No. 13 shirt. #DA13," Fiorentina said on Twitter. Cagliari posted a similar message.
Astori was found dead in his hotel room on Sunday in Udine where Fiorentina had been due to play Udinese. Serie A postponed all Sunday's matches.
Italian public prosecutors said on Monday they are to open proceedings to determine whether Astori's death could be considered as manslaughter.
