Elia Alessandrini Obituary

Elia Alessandrini was a Swiss professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He began playing football at his local club Schoenbuehl in Bern, Switzerland, at the age of 6 before joining the youth academy of Young Boys in 2008.

He gained national attention in 2012 as a ball boy in a match between the national teams of Switzerland and Argentina, when he snuck up on Lionel Messi to get a handshake.

Alessandrini played as a youth international for Switzerland. He first represented the Switzerland U15 in 2012. He was part of the Switzerland U19s at the 2016  UEFA European Under 19 championship.

He last played for the Switzerland U20s in 2017.

Elia Alessandrini died on December 16, 2022, while on vacation with his partner. He reportedly drowned in a swimming pool hours before his flight was scheduled to return to Switzerland.