Football is considered one of the most popular sports in the world. At the same time, it is one of the most traumatic sports. The risk of death increases dramatically if the injury is serious or if the body is severely depleted, which can lead to cardiac arrest. Here are 10 footballers who died while playing.
10. Peter Biaxangzuala
Peter Biaxangzuala was an Indian footballer who died on October 19, 2014. Rejoicing at the goal he had scored, he made a somersault, and after an unsuccessful landing on his neck, he simply fell in the middle of the field. After that, he was taken to the hospital in the intensive care unit. His teammates were confident that he would recover, but his spinal injuries did not respond to treatment. In memory of him, the league in which the footballer played at that time decided to permanently assign 21 numbers to him. He was only 23 years old.
9. Endurance Idahor
Endurance Idahor is a Nigerian footballer who played for a Sudanese football club when he unexpectedly collapsed in the middle of the field and later died on his way to the hospital. The autopsy report showed that the athlete had a cardiovascular collapse as a result of a heart attack. He was 25 years old.
8. Akli Fairuz
The 27-year-old Indonesian footballer was hospitalized in a collision with an opponent's goalkeeper during a game and died the next day due to internal bleeding.
7. Permario Morosini
On April 14, 2012, during a match in Italy, Morosini fell, stumbling on the ground and losing consciousness while trying to get up. On the field, he received medical attention. The doctors even had to use a defibrillator because he had cardiac arrest. After he was taken to the hospital, the match was canceled. It was reported that some of the players "left the field crying." After "an explosion of screams and tears" from his teammates accompanying him to the hospital, Italian media reported that the footballer had passed away at the age of 25.
6. Mark Vivien Foe
On June 26, 2003, in the 72nd minute of the match, Mark Foe unexpectedly fell. When the ambulance team arrived at the stadium, he was still alive, but died shortly thereafter. For 45 minutes, the medics struggled to get his heart started, but in vain. The first autopsy did not reveal the cause of his death, but a second autopsy revealed that it was due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary disorder known to increase the risk of sudden death during exercise. His manager wanted to replace him a few minutes before the heart attack, noticing that he was tired, but Foe made it clear that he wanted to continue playing. He was only 28 years old.
5. Hrvoje Chustich
Hrvoje Custic was a Croatian footballer who played as a midfielder. He suffered serious head injuries after colliding with a concrete wall located about three meters from the sideline and separating the field from the stands. After the operation, he was in an artificial coma, and until April 2, 2008, his condition remained stable. However, due to the infection, his temperature rose sharply, which worsened his condition. And on the same day, the hospital confirmed that his brain had died.
4. Antonio Puerta
On August 26, 2007, in the area of the penalty area, Antonio Puerta fell and lost consciousness due to temporary cardiac arrest. Then he was able to get up and after being replaced by another player, he himself went to the locker room, where he again had a seizure. The footballer was taken to the intensive care unit, where he underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation. On August 28, his doctor reported that Puerta had died of multiple organ failure and that his brain had been damaged as a result of repeated and prolonged cardiac arrest associated with an inherited condition known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia. He was 22 years old and at the time of his death he was preparing to father his first child.
3. Paulo Sergio Oliveira da Silva
On October 27, 2004, in the 60th minute of the match, Sergio suffered a heart attack. They say that his heart just stopped beating. However, he was still taken to the hospital. A later autopsy report showed that Sergio's heart weighed 600 grams, double the average human heart. At the time of his death, he was 30 years old.
2. Miklos Feher
On January 25, 2004, during a live broadcast of a match, Feher suddenly leaned forward, as if in a violent spasm, and then fell to the ground. Players from both teams rushed to his aid and did their best before the arrival of the medical staff. On the field, he underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation, after which an ambulance took the player to the hospital. While Sergio was still on the field, many players began to cry, realizing that something serious had happened. Portuguese media reported on his condition throughout the day, and it became known before midnight that he had died. The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia caused by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. As a token of memory, the club for which he played forever left him number 29. He was 24 years old.
1. Phil O'Donnell
Phil O'Donnell was a Scottish footballer and was named PFA Player of the Year twice. On December 29, 2007, during the game, just when he was about to be replaced, he fell. For five minutes they tried to help him on the field, after which he was taken to the hospital. Later that evening, his death was announced. On January 1, 2008, an examination was carried out, which found that he died of heart failure of the left ventricle. After his death at the age of 35, he is survived by his wife, daughters Megan and Olivia, sons Christopher and Luke.
We advise you to see:
Watching this video about 15 football players who died during the game, you will once again be convinced that football is an action not only spectacular, but also extremely dangerous
