Fiorentina and Crystal Palace paid tribute to Alex Manninger ahead of their Europa Conference League clash at the Artemio Franchi Stadium on Thursday evening
Fiorentina and Crystal Palace observe a minute's silence
Fiorentina and Crystal Palace observed a minute's silence in tribute to Alex Manninger(Image: HBO MAX)
View 2 Images
Fiorentina and Crystal Palace observed a minute's silence in tribute to the late Alex Manninger ahead of their Europa Conference League clash on Thursday evening. The two sides met at the Artemio Franchi Stadium for an 8pm kick-off with the Eagles headed into the tie 3-0 up on aggregate.
But before the encounter got underway, Fiorentina paid homage to former goalkeeper Manninger, who died in a car crash near Salzburg on Thursday morning. Both teams entered the pitch with black arm bands on as a tribute to the 48-year-old, before they lined up around the centre circle for a moment's silence.
A photograph of the ex-goalkeeper, who played in Florence on loan from Arsenal between 2001 and 2002, was shown on the big screen and the air turned noiseless for the duration.
The match took place just over 12 hours after Manninger died in the aftermath of a train hitting his car at a level crossing near Salzburg in Austria.
In response to the news of his death, the Italian club said: "Fiorentina mourns the sudden passing of Alex Manninger, the Viola goalkeeper in the 2001-2002 season, who had a long career in Italy and as the Austrian national team's goalkeeper. The entire club joins his family in this moment of profound grief."
Manninger played 30 matches for Fiorentina during a loan spell from Arsenal. He also represented Bologna, Juventus, Siena, Torino and Udinese in Italy.
The goalkeeper played 33 times for his country and was their number one at the European Championship, which Austria hosted alongside Switzerland in 2008.
Alex Manninger points
Alex Manninger died on Thursday(Image: PA)
View 2 Images
Liverpool were Manninger's last club; he initially trained with them to maintain fitness during the summer of 2016 after leaving Augsburg, before signing a short-term contract until the end of the season, after which he retired.
Manninger did not play a competitive match for the Reds, but did make over 60 appearances for Arsenal between 1997 and 2001, primarily in the absence of David Seaman.
He won Premier League player of the month in March 1998 when deputising for the injured England international after keeping a joint club record six consecutive clean sheets.
Despite playing only seven times, he benefited from special dispensation to receive a league winner's medal for his significant contribution across those games.
Manninger also played five times during their run to the FA Cup final, but watched on from the bench as the Gunners beat Newcastle United to complete the double.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Content Image
Content Image