Former Roma youth player Joseph Bouasse Perfection – who was ‘trafficked into Italy with the promise of making it as a footballer’ – dies aged 21 after suffering heart attack
- Roma announced that ex-midfielder Joseph Bouasse Perfection had died aged 21
- Bouasse never went on to make a first team appearance for the Italian club
- He suffered a heart attack and tributes were paid following the tragic news
- The player was ‘trafficked into Italy with the promise of a career in football’
Joseph Bouasse Perfection has died at the age of 21 after the former Roma midfielder suffered a heart attack on Sunday night.
While Perfection never went on to make a first team appearance for the Italian side, he was recruited by them following an impressive trial less than two years ago.
Once news emerged that he had tragically died, Roma paid tribute to their former youth player.
Joseph Bouasse Perfection (middle) died suddenly at the age of 21 following a heart attack
News broke and Roma paid tribute to their former player across their social media pages
Paying tribute to their former player on Twitter, Roma wrote: ‘The club is desperately saddened to learn of the untimely death of former Primavera player, Joseph Bouasse Perfection.
‘The thoughts of everyone at #ASRoma are with all those closest to him.’
LaLiga side Sevilla added: ‘Heartbreaking news. Our thoughts are with Joseph’s family, friends, and everyone at AS Roma. Rest in peace, Joseph.’
In his time with Roma, Bouasse (right) trained alongside big names such as Francesco Totti
Bouasse was reportedly trafficked into Italy in 2015 as a migrant according to ESPN.
The detail goes on to add that he was left at a train station and was left to fend for himself in earning a career in football.
Having ‘fled’ his home country of Cameroon at the age of 16, he ended up showcasing his talent with Liberi Nantes — Italy’s only all-refugee team.
Bouasse was eventually spotted, offered a trial and then Roma boss Luciano Spalletti invited him to first team training to see how he would match up against the club’s biggest stars.
After he signed a deal with Roma, he trained alongside the likes of Daniele De Rossi and Francesco Totti during his time in the Italian capital and featured 11 times in the club’s youth team.
Bouasse later spent time out on loan with Vicenza in Serie B in 2017 before his contract at Roma ran out in 2018.
He moved to Universitatea Cluj in the second tier of Romanian football in February of this year.
Daniele De Rossi (right) was another player that the Cameroon midfielder trained alongside