Smoking, a sedentary lifestyle and cholesterol are often the main causes of heart disease, but they are not the only ones. The physical overexertion to which elite athletes subject their bodies can also lead to this type of heart problem.
As the statistics show, 1 in 50,000 elite sportsmen and women suffer from some type of cardiac pathology every year. Although this figure is not high, it shows that pushing the body to the limit has become one of the greatest dangers in high-performance sport. In the world of football, there have been players who have suffered minor heart problems such as Raúl GarcÃa, Dani Carvajal or Sami Khedira. But throughout the history of sports, there have been others of greater severity.
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Christian Eriksen
Distressing scenes in Copenhagen last Saturday. Fans and players watched on in horror as Denmark’s star, Christian Eriksen, collapsed in their Euro 2020 match against Finland. His teammates formed a human shield around him as he was given CPR on the pitch for several minutes before being taken away on a stretcher. The fixture was suspended with those left in the stadium fearing the worst, but then more positive news.
A photograph emerged showing the midfielder raising his hand as he was carried off. It was then confirmed, by the tournament organizers, that Eriksen was stable and conscious in hospital. Denmark’s football association said their players were able to communicate directly with Eriksen and the decision was taken by both teams to restart the game. The Finns clapping the Danes back onto the field before going on to win one-nil.
These are shocking scenes, but this has happened before. Fabrice Muamba collapsed on the field while playing for his club in the FA Cup in England. Muamba said Eriksen’s collapse brought him to tears
Erickson is 29 years old and has never contracted covid-19 and has no medical conditions that he’s aware of. According to a team physician, he has passed every medical exam since joining Tottenham, 18 months ago. Erickson remains in hospital and is undergoing tests.
Here are some of the times that professional players have suffered heart attacks:
Bafetimbi Gomis
The French striker has collapsed several times on the pitch due to a medical condition that causes him to faint. He has collapsed playing for Swansea City, Galatasaray and Al-Hilal.
Antonio Puerta
The Sevilla midfielder collapsed while jogging back in the first game of the 2007-08 La Liga season against Getafe and, though he walked off the pitch after being helped by medical staff, he collapsed again in the dressing room.
Lilian Thuram
One of the great players to have left French football. The former Barcelona player had to quit football because of a heart defect detected before playing for PSG.
Rubén de la Red
De la Red was establishing himself in the midfield for Schuster’s Madrid, even scoring a goal in the Spanish Super Cup final that ended up being won by Los Blancos. But on 30 October 2008, while playing in a Copa del Rey match against Real Unión de Irún, the Madrid midfielder collapsed on the pitch with syncope. The following day, the midfielder was discharged from the hospital and remained on indefinite sick leave until further observations. After several rounds of different diagnoses, who doubted whether De la Red’s state of health was optimal for a return to competition, the player ended up officially retiring in 2010.
Nwankwo Kanu
Nwankwo Kanu (Oweri, 1976) is perhaps the most encouraging of the cases reviewed so far, as he returned to competition after surgery for aortic valve insufficiency. The Nigerian was signed by Inter Milan after being part of the legendary Ajax Amsterdam squad that won the European Championship in 1995, and the star of the Nigeria team that won gold at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996. The Nigerian striker went on to play for several Premier League clubs and had a long career, retiring at the age of 36.
Sergio Sanchez
But shortly after his arrival at Espanyol, the medical services detected a heart condition in Sergio Sánchez (Mataró, 1986). As a precaution, they decided to keep him on the sidelines. After a period of reflection, the player went to Hamburg to undergo heart surgery, which was completed. Sergio Sánchez continues to compete at the highest level and is still part of the Cádiz squad. He has not had any relapses to date.
Fabrice Muamba
In 2012, while playing for Bolton in the FA Cup quarter-final against Tottenham Hotspur, Fabrice Muamba (Kinshasha, 1988) collapsed in the middle of the pitch with a cardiac arrest. England referee Howard Webb did not hesitate and called off the match while Muamba was rushed to hospital. The player survived after having his heart stopped for around 78 minutes. The Congolese player decided on medical advice to retire from professional football later that year.
It is easy to say that sports are good for your health, but we don’t know the real phase of those who expose their bodies to the maximum and end up facing irreversible consequences. Those mentioned in our list were the lucky ones, but some could not count on their luck. Do you think it is normal for sportsmen to suffer heart attacks, or do you think it is due to the explanation of the players? If we missed any of them, feel free to mention them in your comments!
