Many from the world of football mourned the loss of Italian defender Davide Astori, who died due to a suspected heart attack in his hotel room on Saturday night.

Fiorentina defender Astori was found dead in his hotel room in Udine where his team were staying ahead of Sunday’s scheduled Serie A game with Udinese. Chelsea manager Antonio Conte and World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon paid emotional tributes to the 31-year-old Italian. Astori leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter.

Conte, who coached the defender when he was in charge of the Italian national team, said the player’s death was a “tragedy”.

“This is a tragedy and it really hurts me. It’s very difficult at this moment to find the right words for the family,” Chelsea coach Conte told Sky Sports ahead of his team’s Premier League match at Manchester City on Sunday. “I had him with the national team. He was a great player but especially a fantastic guy. I stay close to his wife, parents and daughter. He was only 31 and it’s very difficult to explain this situation.”

Veteran Buffon, the Juventus captain, called Astori “a great man”.

Ciao caro Asto, difficilmente ho espresso pubblicamente un pensiero riguardo una persona, perché ho sempre lasciato che la bellezza e l'unicità di rapporti, di reciproca stima e affetto, non venissero strumentalizzati o gettati in pasto a chi non ha la delicatezza per rispettare certi legami. Nel tuo caso, sento di fare un'eccezione alla mia regola, perché hai una moglie giovane e dei familiari che staranno soffrendo,ma soprattutto la tua piccola bimba, merita di sapere che il suo papà era a tutti gli effetti una PERSONA PERBENE.....una GRANDE PERSONA PERBENE....eri l'espressione migliore di un mondo antico, superato, nel quale valori come l'altruismo, l'eleganza, l'educazione e il rispetto verso il prossimo, la facevano da padroni. Complimenti davvero, sei stata una delle migliori figure sportive nella quale mi sono imbattuto. R.I.P. Il tuo folle Gigi.

A post shared by Gianluigi Buffon (@gianluigibuffon) on

Buffon said he did not usually make a habit of expressing his feelings about others.

“I want to make an exception to my rule because you have a young wife and others close to you who are suffering, but mostly because your little girl deserves to know that her dad was a good man... a great man.”

Radja Nainggolan, a Belgian international who played with Astori at two clubs, posted a photo of the two of them celebrating a goal at Cagliari.

“A great player, but an even bigger man, so many battles fought together in Cagliari before coming to Rome, I cannot believe it,” he wrote.

Compatriot and tennis player Fabio Fognini dedicated his Sao Paulo title to Astori. Dario Nardella, the current mayor of Florence, said the city would observe a day of mourning for the player’s funeral.

(with inputs from AFP)