Bove reveals what Mourinho did immediately after cardiac arrest

Edoardo Bove has revealed that Jose Mourinho went out of his way to get in contact with his parents following his scary cardiac arrest back in 2024, and has again spoken of the reality of going from ‘feeling like a superhero’ to being told he wouldn’t play football again. 

Bove has made a miraculous return to full health after suffering a scary cardiac arrest on the pitch during the first half of a Serie A match between Inter and Fiorentina on December 1, 2024.

The former Roma youngster, who was on loan with Fiorentina at the time, collapsed on the pitch, was rushed to hospital, admitted to intensive care and later had a removable internal defibrillator device fitted. 

The defibrillator prevents Bove from playing professionally in Italy, but it has not stopped him from returning to professional action in the UK, where the rules surrounding heart conditions and defibrillator devices are more loose. For similar reasons, Christian Eriksen was forced to leave Inter after suffering a cardiac arrest at EURO 2020, but was allowed to sign for Brentford and later Manchester United in the Premier League. 

Bove’s journey has taken him to Watford, where he has since gone on to make eight league appearances. 

Bove on cardiac arrest, Watford return and special Mourinho relationship

Bove has spoken about his turbulent last 18 months in an interview with MailOnline. 

“The last thing I remember is when I went down. I woke up in hospital without knowing what happened. I thought I’d been in a car accident,” Bove recalled. 

“Before it happened, I felt like a superhero. They told me I wouldn’t play football again. Sometimes I was thinking, ‘what am I going to do?’. There were very difficult days where everything was going so bad.

“It was hard but it became part of the journey. I’m happy with how it went and I learned more in this year than from anything I’d experienced before.”

During his interview with MailOnline, Bove lifted up his shirt to show what it looks like after having a defibrillator implanted.

“The first month, you struggle sleeping on the side. It changes your physique. When you see yourself changed in the mirror it can be painful – but for me it wasn’t. I’ve never been disappointed.

“I’m so lucky it happened at a perfect age. I was 22. I was mature enough to understand the real meaning, but I also had the energy and power of a young guy.”

Bove also revealed that his former Roma coach, Mourinho, went to special lengths to get in contact during his time in the hospital, at a time when he couldn’t respond to messages or calls from his own phone. 

“He cares about every player he has trained, some of them more than others!

“He wrote to me first but I couldn’t answer anyone, so he got the number of my parents. I have an unbelievable relationship with him. Mourinho is a very important person for me and my family.

“Sometimes when I think about the past, it makes me emotional. But at the same time it makes me proud. It was a long period but I turned a tough moment into an opportunity. 

“I have a different perspective. If you are not open-minded, you lose something about life. I’m happy.”