A former footballer and goalkeeping coach died in his sleep at just 46, after telling his wife and children he wasn’t feeling well.
Diego Ruspantini had dinner with his wife and two children on Sunday evening (25 Jan), before going to lie down in bed, saying he felt unwell.
Later that night, his wife found him unconscious in their bedroom.
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Diego, or Ruspa to his friends, had already died by the time paramedics arrived.
Responders described his death in Porto Recanati, in Italy’s Marche region, as natural, caused by a sudden illness.
Originally from Loreto, Diego was a well-known figure in the Marche amateur football scene.
He began his football career with Porto Recanati in the 1996-97 season.
During his goalkeeping career, he played across the fourth to seventh tiers of the Italian league system, including a season with Monturanese in Serie D in 2003-04.
Remarkably, he somehow scored a goal for Vis Civitanova in the seventh-tier Prima Categoria during the 2001-02 season.
His last appearance came for Camerano in the Eccellenza league in 2016-17, though he remained registered with the club through 2019-20 in the Promozione league.
After retiring as a player, he became a goalkeeping coach, working at Ancona and Adriatica Portorecanati, as reported by Need To Know.
Diego ran a local goalkeeping academy, Academy United DC, which paid tribute to him, saying: “You wanted this academy with determination, you believed in it, and you made it a reality – not without sacrifice.
“If today we are what we are, it is thanks to you. We will carry forward your values: humility, respect, sacrifice, tenacity, trust. You will always be in our hearts.”
Although a post-mortem was performed, the Macerata prosecutor’s office ordered further tests on his body, to be carried out today (28 Jan), to clarify the cause of death.
This meant his funeral had to be postponed.
Regarded as a “gentle giant” by his neighbours, Diego worked as a managing agent for a block of flats and enjoyed fishing for clams from his boat in his spare time.
Porto Recanati mayor Andrea Michelini added: “He was a young man who always wore a smile and radiated extraordinary energy. A friend to everyone, he always had a kind word for all.
“A bright, cheerful soul, devoted to sport and full of remarkable positivity, his tragically short life was taken far too soon – he lived every moment to the fullest.”
