Very few of them were top players, but the names of footballers who are recorded to have died during a competitive game or while training with their club or country will remain high on the list of the fans who supported them and, most of all, of the families and friends who loved them.

Theirs was often an unexpected and unexplained death, and being all in the prime of their health, such tragedies are even more saddening. Many of them became known to the football world only after the death, which always comes as a shock considering that athletes are supposed to be among the fittest people in the world. Some, like Cameroon’s Foe who died during the Confederations Cup semi-final in 2003, perhaps got more attention, largely because they died during a well-known competition, but all these players sacrificed their life for the sport they loved.

The last of these was Livorno’s Piermario Morosini, who collapsed today week in the match against Pescara and died soon afterwards. His number 25 shirt was withdrawn from the club as a sign of respect, and his unfortunate story – a brother who committed suicide, the death of his parents and a disabled sister – made the headlines all through this past week.

The postponement of last weekend’s matches in Italy was the least that the sporting world could do in the circumstances. That the players’ friends, led by Udinese’s Toto Di Natale, have taken over the responsibility of Morosini’s daughter is a sign that, sometimes, football has its own heart too.

The question that comes up after such a tragedy is always the same – should there be more stringent tests before players are allowed to play on a professional basis? Well, sport enthusiasts know well that before a player signs for a club, he goes through strict medial examinations. But anomalies such as those suffered by Morosini are hard to detect, especially if they have to do with congenital disorders. Some argue that people like Morosini would die young anyway, whether they were athletes or not.

What is certain is that we are getting to hear about such incidents on a rather regular basis. In recent weeks, we had the case of Fabrice Muamba in England and in October Milan’s Cassano collapsed with a heart anomaly soon after a football game. Such tragedies do not occur in football only – a few weeks ago, former Italian international volleyball player Vigor Bovolenta also collapsed and died during a game.

It is sad, so sad.