“ITALIAN basketball star Matteo Bettanti is fighting for his life after crashing his Ferrari into a flower shop. Bettanti, 21, plays for Elachem Vigevano 1955, who are based in a province just outside of Milan. Sign up for the Sport newsletter Thank you! Italian basketball star Matteo Bettanti is reportedly in a critical condition after”, — write: www.thesun.co.uk
Bettanti, 21, plays for Elachem Vigevano 1955, who are based in a province just outside of Milan.
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Italian basketball star Matteo Bettanti is reportedly in a critical condition after crashing his FerrariCredit: Jam Press Sport Italia claimed the incident happened just after 8pm local time on Sunday evening after he lost control of his car and smashed into the wall of a shop in the Pavia region, northern Italy.
Bettanti was immediately airlifted to Niguarda Hospital and remains in a critical condition, the report says.
It added that the impact of the car was so severe that the fire department had to intervene to force the doors open and cut him free.
In a statement, Bettanti’s basketball club said: “The Nuova Pallacanestro Vigevano 1955 family is rooting for Matteo Bettanti, who was injured in a serious car accident that occurred along with another person on the evening of Sunday, November 9th.
“Matteo is hospitalized in code red in intensive care at Niguarda Hospital, is responding to treatment and is being continuously monitored by the ward doctors. Go Matteo, don’t give up!”
The Corso Genova road where the accident happened was closed late into the night to allow safety and rescue teams to operate.
Another man, Alberto Righini – a businessmen and construction firm worker – was also involved in the crash, the report said.
According to La7, Righini, 52, was also taken to hospital after suffering fractures and being left in a serious but non life threatening condition.
Another Italian basketball club Aironi Robbio also sent a tribute to Bettanti.
They said: “DON’T GIVE UP MATTEO!!! This is the toughest game, but we know your grit and the strength of those who love you will make all the difference.
“The Aironi Robbio are with you, Matteo, and next to your brother Filippo and your family. Come back to smiling soon.”
Bettanti joined the club in 2023-24 after a stint in Montverde Academy in the US and played the entire Serie A2 championship.
But the player missed the majority of last season through injury.
He had been holding discussions with a number of teams about resuming his career after returning to fitness.
Bettanti has been an active Instagram user over the years and currently has 3,416 followers.
One of his recent posts saw him hail his parents for their support after being pictured emotional while embracing them during a game.
His caption read: “My only goal in life was making my mom and dad proud, now it’s my greatest accomplishment. Can’t beat that.”