Footballer Mattia Giani died after suffering a heart attack while shooting on goal: AS Roma’s Gianluca Mancini is among those paying tribute to the 26-year-old striker.

Tributes have poured in for an Italian striker who died aged 26 while shooting on goal during a match.

Castelfiorentino striker Mattia Giani was rushed to hospital after clutching his chest and collapsing seconds after shooting on goal in the 15th minute of a match at the Lanciotto Campi in Tuscany on Sunday.

A club masseur reportedly tried to resuscitate the player on the pitch, after his heart stopped beating for several minutes, before he was transported to Careggi Hospital in Florence, where he died the following day.

Footballers and their families paid tribute to the deceased player.

AS Roma’s Gianluca Mancini, whose sister is currently dating Giani’s brother Elia, dedicated his goal in Thursday’s 2-1 Europa League win over AC Milan to Giani, telling Sky Sports Italia :

“My sister and Mattia’s family are suffering. The world around them has collapsed, but they will rise again. I wanted to dedicate this goal to him.

Mancini was seen wearing a T-shirt that said in Italian: “Farewell Mattia, forever with us.”

Giani’s girlfriend, Sofia Caruso (pictured, right), had moved in with him just two days before his death.

AS Roma’s Gianluca Mancini, whose sister is currently dating Giani’s brother Elia, scored his goal in the 2-1 Europa League win over AC Milan on Thursday.

Castelfiorentino coach Nico Scaridigli said of Giani: “Mattia was a wonderful guy. He had a wonderful girlfriend who loved him more than anything.

“From a sporting point of view, he was a good, fun footballer. He always had a knockout shot. His career didn’t go as well as he deserved simply because of muscular problems.

Giani’s girlfriend Sofia Caruso, who he had been living with for just two days before his death, revealed what their last day together was like.

She said: “We woke up on Sunday. We talked and laughed: it was beautiful. Then Matti took the bag. I remained at home. Then his cell phone rang: it was a message from him, the last one.

“He wrote to me: ‘My love, I left you the accreditation for the match in Giani’s name. I love you like crazy.’ He always told me he loved me like crazy and I loved him like crazy too.’

She added: “We were thinking about getting married, we said we wanted kids. Mattia made me understand what love was and he took care of me. Matti was a pure and good person.

“He always told me she would never leave me alone. I will continue to love him forever. Now I feel like I have to move forward for him.

Sofia said of her last day with her boyfriend: “We woke up on Sunday. We talked and laughed: it was beautiful’

Mancini was seen wearing a T-shirt that read in Italian: “Farewell Mattia, forever with us”

“I have to do this for his friends who have been calling me continuously for days. On the other hand, I called him all morning but he didn’t answer me. I am speechless and without tears.

Giani’s father, Sandro, filed a complaint to “understand how our son died”, as several disturbing details about his son’s death have emerged.

According to Sandro, no doctor was present on the field at the time of the attacker’s death.

In addition, the first ambulance arrived late and without a doctor. A defibrillator was only used by the doctor who arrived a few minutes later in a second ambulance.

Italian prosecutors have since opened a manslaughter investigation, after disturbing details about the club’s preparedness were revealed.

Lanciotto was also fined for not having appropriate medical personnel at the time of the medical incident.