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Thousands Gather in Florence for Davide Astori Funeral

Thousands of Fiorentina fans gathered in Florence on Thursday for the funeral of Davide Astori, the club's captain, who was found dead on Sunday ahead of a Serie A match against Udinese.

Per MailOnline's Jack Bezants, the 31-year-old's team-mates were in attendance at the service at the Santa Croce church as were the Juventus side, who flew back from London for the funeral after their 2-1 defeat of Tottenham Hotspur in the UEFA Champions League.

The Old Lady players were warmly received by the Fiorentina faithful, per Italian football writer Adam Digby:

Bezants added some fans arrived to line the streets up to three hours before the start of the service, while thousands applauded and chanted as Astori's coffin was driven past Stadio Artemio Franchi, the home of Fiorentina.