Bove shows off scar from heart surgery in new Prada advertisement | OneFootball

Roma midfielder Edoardo Bove showed the scar from his surgery after collapsing on the pitch with a cardiac irregularity, referencing it in a new campaign for Prada. ‘Every scar tells who you are.’

He was on loan at Fiorentina playing a Serie A match against Inter in Florence when he collapsed in December 2024.

His heart briefly stopped due to an undiagnosed cardiac irregularity, and he received an implanted defibrillator, meaning he cannot resume his career in Italy with that still in place.

Bove references his story in Prada fragrance ad

Edoardo Bove of Italy during the UEFA U21 EURO Qualifier match between Italy and Norway at Stadio Druso on October 17, 2023 in Bolzen, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

The 23-year-old is now back at Roma and referenced this life-changing incident in a new advertising campaign for Prada’s men’s fragrance, Paradigme.

The video shows Bove walking and taking photographs, with his voice over the top explaining how this reflects his own journey, and notably shows off the scar from that implanted defibrillator.

“At times, stopping is a way of understanding who you really are, to reframe the world and ask yourself if there is another way to feel alive.

“Every scar tells who you are, how you grew up, where you lost yourself. And how you began again. It helps you to ask yourself, what if there was another way to create? What if there was another way to fly?

“Create your paradigm. There’s always another way.”

Bove has not yet decided if he will have the implant removed, and therefore be able to continue his career in Italy, or keep it in place and seek to go abroad.

A similar implant is why Christian Eriksen had to leave Inter when he had a cardiac arrest during the EURO 2020 tournament, as the Italian rules forbid anyone with it from participating in sport.