Edoardo Bove’s collapse during Fiorentina’s match against Inter on 1 December 2024 became one of the most distressing moments of that Serie A season. The cardiac arrest halted a young player’s path in Italian football, but it also opened a longer story of recovery, uncertainty and a return to the game on different terms.
Key takeaways
- Bove suffered a cardiac arrest during Fiorentina’s Serie A fixture against Inter on 1 December 2024.
- A documentary film, titled In un battito, follows the months after the emergency and Bove’s attempt to reshape his future.
- The film will receive its first screening at the 2026 Rome Film Festival, in the Special Screening section.
- It is scheduled for a three-day Italian cinema release on 16, 17 and 18 November.
- Bove joined Watford in January 2026 and has resumed playing in England with a subcutaneous defibrillator.
- The midfielder will appear at the Trento Sports Festival on 4 October alongside figures including Gennaro Gattuso and Cesc Fabregas.
A life and career reconsidered
Directed by Giovanni Troilo, In un battito examines the period that followed the medical emergency in Florence. Its focus is not simply the incident itself, but the difficult months after it: Bove’s wish to return to the pitch, the confrontation with a changed reality, and the possibility that his playing career in Italy might not continue.
For a player regarded as one of Italian football’s promising midfielders, the consequences extended beyond rehabilitation. The documentary traces the need to reconsider a future that had previously appeared to be defined by weekly matches, training grounds and the normal rhythm of a Serie A campaign.
No Name Entertainment and Alea Film produced the project with Rai Cinema, alongside Sky and Chiarafama. 01 Distribution will handle the film’s Italian theatrical distribution, while Rai Cinema International Distribution is responsible for its international release.
Back on the pitch in England
Bove has since placed football back at the centre of his life. In January 2026, he signed for Watford and returned to action in England as a midfielder, using a subcutaneous defibrillator.
His journey will also be discussed away from the cinema screen when he attends the ninth edition of the Trento Sports Festival on 4 October. Gattuso and Fabregas are among the leading sporting names expected at the event, where Bove’s experience will stand as a reminder that a season can be changed in an instant, while a career may still find a way forward.
