PApy video 7 : 10 Footballers Who Died On The Field

 10 Footballers Who Died On The Field

The sport of association football, which is more commonly known as football in many parts of the world and soccer in America, is without a shred of doubt the world's most popular sport. Football is indeed a beautiful and entertaining game, which is why it is the most loved sport in the world. Not only is the game interesting to play, but it is also incredibly entertaining to watch – especially when watching gifted and legendary players like Pele, Ronaldo, Messi, Diego Maradona, etc., display their mesmerizing skills on the field against their opponents with such brilliance that you are left enchanted.

However, while football is fun, it can also be very dangerous and deadly for both players and spectators. Over the years, dozens of professional and amateur footballers have sustained life-threatening injuries that abruptly ended their careers. In contrast, others have also tragically lost their lives from injuries they suffered while playing on the field. For example, over a dozen football players tragically lost their lives in the past decade due to a medical condition they suffered from while playing.

The following is a list of 10 footballers who died on the field. Their sudden deaths on the football pitch shocked their respective countries and the world at large:

10. Phil O’Donnell

Scottish professional footballer Phil O'Donnell died on the pitch after suffering heart failure while playing for his club, Motherwell.

Fatherwell's captain, O'Donnell, tragically lost his life on December 29, 2007, after he collapsed during his side's game against Dundee United.

The unfortunate incident happened towards the end of the match – just as O’Donnell was about to be substituted by his coach.

According to the then Motherwell manager, Mark McGhee, O'Donnell was standing alone, with no player around him, when he suddenly collapsed. McGhee revealed that doctors from Motherwell and Dundee United worked feverishly together to revive O'Donnell while he lay unconscious on the pitch. About five minutes later, O'Donnell was rushed into a waiting ambulance and taken to Wishaw General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was only 35 years old. A postmortem examination revealed that O'Donnell died after suffering from a left ventricular failure of the heart. Simply put, he died from heart failure.

9. David Longhurst

David Longhurst died on the pitch from heart failure in September 1990. Longhurst was only 25 years old at the time of his sudden and shocking death. During his career as a professional footballer, Longhurst was a very gifted English footballer who played for several important clubs, such as Nottingham Forest, Northampton Town, and York City (the team he played for at the time of his death).

Longhurst's death happened on September 8, 1990, when he suddenly collapsed while featuring in a game between his club, York City, and Lincoln City. Doctors tried feverishly to revive Longhurst after his collapse, but their efforts were in vain. Longhurst was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.

A postmortem examination of Longhurst's body revealed that he suffered from a rare heart condition known as cardiomyopathy. Doctors said the rare heart condition eventually led to his heart failure on the pitch.

Following Longhurst’s death, his club York City named one of the stands at their Bootham Crescent stadium after him.

8. Serginho

Serginho died at 30 after collapsing while playing a match in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The young Brazilian professional footballer, whose real name was Paulo Sergio Oliveira da Silva, died on October 27, 2004, during a game between his team Sao Caetano and Sao Paulo.

About 60 minutes into the game, Serginho suffered from a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch. Medics from both teams rushed to help resuscitate Serginho, but their efforts proved futile. The 30-year-old was later confirmed dead at a nearby hospital. The rest of the match was abandoned and continued at a later date.

An autopsy revealed that his heart weighed more than the typical weight of a human heart. Simply put, Serginho had an enlarged heart, and that caused his death.

Sao Caetano's doctors knew of Serginho's enlarged heart condition. They knew he was at risk of suffering from a cardiac arrest but thought that the risk was not very significant and let him play matches. But unfortunately for Serginho, the risk proved serious and caused him to suffer a fatal cardiac arrest. The authorities later penalized the club for allowing Serginho to play even though they knew of his heart condition.

7. Robbie James

The legendary Welsh footballer Robbie James died at 40 while playing a match in February 1998.

The tragic incident occurred at Stebonheath Park on February 18, 1998, during a match between James' club, Llanelli, and Porthcawl.

The match was like any other one Robbie had played throughout his several decades of professional football. He put in his best and played his heart out, but unfortunately for him, something very terrible happened in the middle of the match. As the game progressed and Llanelli led Porthcawl, Robbie suddenly collapsed on the field. Despite all the frantic efforts made by the doctors, Robbie couldn't be revived. His official cause of death was a heart attack. Robbie's tragic death plunged the whole of Wales into mourning.

In his obituary published in The Independent, Robbie was said to have played his final game to the very last with every ounce of his being.

Between 1973 and 1994, Robbie reportedly played 783 games in the English league and scored 133 goals.

6. Cristiano Junior

Promising young Brazilian footballer Cristiano Junior died at 25 while scoring a goal in a match.

The sad incident occurred on December 5, 2004, during the Federation Cup final between Junior's team Dempo Sports Club and Mohun Bagan in Bangalore, India.

In the 78th minute of the game, Junior scored his second goal, a goal that eventually cost him his life. While scoring this goal, the young footballer chased the speeding ball into the penalty box, kicked it into the net, and collided with Mohun Bagan's goalkeeper, Subrata Pal. He staggered for a while and then collapsed on the pitch. For a moment, fans and his teammates assumed he was celebrating his goal. However, it took a moment for them to realize what was truly happening, at which point there was a mad rush to assist the injured player. Medics tried to resuscitate him, but Junior couldn't be revived. He was taken off the field unconscious and died on arrival at the Hosmat Hospital. An autopsy report later revealed that Junior died of a cardiac arrest.

Following Junior’s death, his club decided to honor him by retiring the number 10 jersey that he wore.

5. Ivan Beli Krstic

Ivan Beli Krstic was a 19-year-old Serbian footballer whose tragic death shook the football community in no small way. Krstic died on May 29, 2000, when he was struck by lightning while training with his teammates on the field. According to reports, the bolt of lightning that struck Krstic was so severe that it instantly killed him on the pitch right in front of his teammates, and some supporters gathered there to watch the training session.

At the time of his shocking death, Krstic played for the Yugoslavia national under-21 team and also played for the club FK Radnički Niš, which he captained.

Following Krstic's death, his club, FK Radnički Niš, decided to honor him in two remarkable ways. The first honor the club did him was to stop using the number 10 jersey, which was Krstic's number. Currently, no player in the club wears the number 10 jersey. The second honor the club gave the 19-year-old was to name their youth academy after him.

4. Miklós Fehér

The professional Hungarian footballer Miklós Fehér died at 24 from a cardiac arrest during a match between his team Benfica and Vitoria de Guimarães.

On January 25, 2004, the 24-year-old Hungarian footballer came on as a substitute in the 60th minute of his team's game with Vitoria Guimaraes.

Fehér played well and even helped his teammate Fernando Aguiar score the game's only goal. But shortly after the goal was scored, something very shocking happened. During injury time, Fehér was shown a yellow card. After being booked, he smiled for a while, bent forward with his hands touching his knees as though he was in severe pain, and then collapsed backward onto the field. His teammates and opposition players rushed to his side to try and revive him before medical personnel arrived and took over. And as the medics tried to resuscitate him, many were crying – including Benfica's then-coach, Jose Antonio Camacho. Unfortunately, despite all the frantic efforts to save Fehér, he died. A postmortem examination of his body revealed the cause of death as cardiac arrest. Fehér's death sent massive shockwaves all over Portugal and Hungary.

3. Samuel Okwaraji

Legendary Nigerian footballer Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji, popularly known as just Samuel Okwaraji, tragically died on the field of play in Lagos, Nigeria, on August 12, 1989. Okwaraji’s tragic and sudden death is still considered one of Africa's most shocking football deaths ever. Okwaraji was only 25 years old when he collapsed and died on the field while playing for Nigeria's Super Eagles in a World Cup qualifier against Angola.

The shocking incident happened precisely in the 77th minute of play in front of over 20,000 Nigerian football fans at the Lagos National Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.

In the second half of the game, just about 13 minutes to the end, Okwaraji suddenly collapsed on the field, leaving his teammates, opponents, and thousands of spectators gathered at the stadium in a state of confusion and shock. Medics rushed to the field and tried all they could to resuscitate the 25-year-old, but to no avail. He was pronounced dead on the pitch. Okwaraji’s official cause of death was congestive heart failure resulting from high blood pressure and an enlarged heart.

Okwaraji’s death indeed shocked the whole of Nigeria to its core. And even though the death occurred over 20 years ago, many football fans worldwide can't seem to forget about it. Currently, there is a statue in front of the National Stadium in Surulere in honor of Okwaraji.

2. Piermario Morosini

Piermario Morosini, a famous Italian professional footballer, died on the field on April 14, 2012, during a match between his team Livorno and Pescara. He was 25 years of age.

In the 31st minute of the game at the Stadio Adriatico, Morosini suddenly collapsed and fell face-first on the pitch after suffering from a cardiac arrest. Since the match was broadcast live, footage of Morosini's collapse took no time to circulate all over social media. However, it was shocking how the 25-year-old midfielder suddenly collapsed on the field and briefly tried to get up before instantly slumping back down again and losing consciousness.

Morosini received medical attention on the field before being stretched into an ambulance, which delayed for a while before leaving the stadium for the nearby Santo Spirito hospital because a city police car blocked the entrance to the pitch. Eventually, the car was moved, and the ambulance went to the hospital, where Morosini was pronounced dead. Following Morosini's tragic death, the Italian Football Federation decided to postpone all of the remaining weekend's league fixtures.

Morosini's death left his disabled sister with no family since he was the only one she had. Morosini lost his mother when he was 15. His father died two years later. Soon after his father died, his disabled brother took his own life, leaving him alone with his physically disabled older sister.

If this isn’t heartbreaking, then what is?

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1. Marc-Vivien Foe

The legendary Cameroonian footballer Marc-Vivien Foe died suddenly in the middle of an international fixture when he was just 28 years old. Foe's death shocked football fans worldwide, considering how famous Foe was and the circumstances under which he died. It was indeed shocking and totally heartbreaking!

Foe died on June 26, 2003, during a match between his country, Cameroon, and Colombia, held at the Stade de Gerland in Lyon, France. In the 72nd minute of the game, Foe, who was all alone in the center circle of the pitch, suddenly collapsed.

The medical staff tried several times to resuscitate him on the field but to no avail. He was then hurriedly stretchered off the field to the sideline, where doctors gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and oxygen in a desperate attempt to resuscitate him. But unfortunately, Foe couldn’t be revived.

Medics reportedly spent 45 minutes trying their best to restart Foe's heart but to no avail. For sadly died shortly after arriving at the stadium's medical center.

An autopsy revealed that Foe had a heart condition called cardiomyopathy hypertrophia, which increases a person's risk of death during intense activity. The autopsy report, therefore, concluded that Foe died of natural causes.

Foe's death, which till today is considered one of the most shocking deaths on the field of play, received massive coverage all over the world. The worldwide football community came together to mourn Foe's death for weeks. Even though Foe died several years ago, his death is still frequently remembered with great sadness worldwide.

By the way, Viewers should note that these are not the only football players who died on the field. Over the years, dozens of footballers have died while playing on the pitch. However, the above footballers are footballers whose deaths on the field were so big that they left the whole world talking about them.

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