Atalanta midfielder Andrea Rinaldi has died three days after suffering a brain aneurysm at home, aged just 19.
The teenager, who was on loan at Serie D club Legnano, had fallen ill on Friday and was taken to hospital in Varese, where he passed away.
Fourth-tier club Legnano confirmed the news on their club website, which described Rinaldi as “a golden boy, exemplary in life and play”.
The statement said: “AC Legnano, the city and the entire football universe, at all levels, today live one of their most upsetting days. Andrea Rinaldi, our warrior, has left us. An aneurysm snatched him in the prime of life, with a life ahead of him and with a career that promised bright goals. A sudden and shocking tragedy, impossible even to imagine.”
Legnano chairman Giovanni Munafo added: “When Andrea came to training, he came first to greet me. This is a memory I will carry in my heart.