Andrea Rinaldi (23 June 2000 – 11 May 2020) was an Italian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

. Rinaldi started his youth career in Cermenate and in

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

after passing five years at

Atalanta Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene and who is primarily known ...

. He died in May 2020 from an aneurysm after being loaned to Imolese, Mezzolara and Legnano.

Club career

Rinaldi started his career in a

Cermenate Cermenate ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about south of Como. Cermenate borders the following municipalities: Bregnano, Cantù, Carimate, ...

club and at

's youth set-up. In 2013, he joined

's youth sector, for whom he played for the ''Giovanissimi Regionali A'', ''Allievi'' and ''Primavera'' squads always under Massimo Brambilla's management. For the U17s, he won the national league (in which he scored a goal in the final) and the supercup. After making only two appearances with Atalanta Primavera in the 2017–18 season, in July 2018, Imolese announced that Atalanta had loaned him to them. In

Serie C The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega Pro ...

, he only made an eight-minute appearance against Monza on 25 November 2018. He also had loan spells to

Serie D The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...

side Mezzolara and to

Legnano Legnano (; or ''Lignàn'') is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the north-westernmost part of the Metropolitan City of Milan, Province of Milan, about from central Milan. With 60,259, it is the thirteenth-most populous township in Lombardy. Le ...

, making 13 league appearances. Rinaldi had made 23 league appearances and scored one goal.

International career

While playing for the youth of Atalanta, he received a call up for the Italy U18

Death

On 8 May 2020, Rinaldi suffered a ruptured

aneurysm An aneurysm is an outward bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also be a nidus (s ...

while training in his house in Cermenate. He was immediately rushed to the hospital in Varese to try to save him, but on the morning of 11 May, his heart stopped beating. His funeral was held three days later in Stadio Cermenate at 15:30. Hundreds went to see the funeral, Legnano ultimately retired the number 8 jersey (the number he had worn) and gave it to his family.

Style of play

Posthumously, he was described by Sky Sport Italy as "a quick and dynamic midfielder with extraordinary athletic ability and speed, the classic modern midfielder, a nightmare for opposing midfielders and for defences when he inserted himself".

Career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rinaldi, Andrea 2000 births 2020 deaths People from Carate Brianza Italian footballers Association football midfielders A.C. Monza players Atalanta B.C. players Imolese Calcio 1919 players A.C. Legnano players Serie C players Serie D players A.S.D. Mezzolara players Deaths from intracranial aneurysm Neurological disease deaths in Lombardy