Here, TOP SOCCER BLOG brings you some of the most tragic occurrences of football players who passed away on the pitch.
1. Marc-Vivien Foé
On June 26, 2003, during the semi-final match of the FIFA Confederations Cup between Colombia and Cameroon, Marc-Vivien Foé, a midfielder, collapsed in the center of the circle near the player in the 72nd minute of the game.
He was provided with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and oxygen after being carried off the field following efforts to revive him on the pitch.
In spite of the 45-minute endeavors of healthcare providers to resuscitate his heart, he succumbed shortly after arriving at the medical facility located within the stadium.
An autopsy ascribed his demise to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, an inherited condition that heightens the likelihood of unexpected demise during physical exertion.
Marie-Louise Foé’s widow reported that he had been suffering from dysentery and gastric issues before his final game, but he insisted on playing in his beloved hometown of Lyon.
Winfried Schäfer, the manager of Cameroon, wanted to substitute the player who seemed fatigued but still signaled that he wanted to continue playing, minutes before his collapse.
Across the globe, the soccer world was rocked by the unexpected passing of Foé, and he is commemorated as a skilled athlete and a tremendous loss to the game.
Both teams, in their respective ways, sported the number 17 jersey, which he donned while playing for Olympique Lyon, and the number 23 shirt was temporarily taken out of circulation by Manchester City.
2. Samuel Okwaraji
Samuel Okwaraji was a Nigerian professional soccer player and a certified attorney with a master’s degree in global law.
He competed for the national team of Nigeria and various clubs in Europe.
In Lagos, the Nigerian midfielder Samuel Okwaraji suffered a collapse and passed away on the pitch just 10 minutes following a 1990 FIFA World Cup preliminary match against Angola.
An autopsy revealed that the 25-year-old had died from complications of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which included high blood pressure and an enlarged heart.
He is remembered as a patriot who placed personal needs above his country, and his sudden death shocked the entire nation and Nigerian football community.
3. Antonio Puerta
In the 2007/08 La Liga season, during Sevilla’s match against Getafe, Antonio Puerta collapsed and lost consciousness in the penalty area due to a cardiac arrest.
After just 35 minutes of play, he returned to his team’s goal and was observed crouching down before collapsing.
Immediately, Palop Andrés and Dragutinović Ivica rushed to his side as he lost consciousness, with other players and club medical staff following suit moments later.
After recuperating and being replaced, Puerta managed to stroll to the locker room, where he collapsed once more.
After being administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, he was transported to the intensive care unit of Virgen del Rocío hospital by ambulance and revived by the physicians.
Sadly, Puerta passed away on August 28th, 2007.
Dr. Francisco Murillo reported that the player had suffered multiple irreversible brain damage and multiple organ failures as a result of prolonged cardiac arrests, known as hereditary heart arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, which is incurable.
As a sign of reverence, players from both Sevilla and city rivals Real Betis participated in his funeral days after his passing.
Afterwards, FIFA mandated the installation of revival rooms in each stadium that hosted the World Cup preliminary matches.
4. Orobosan Adun
Fans from the rival team, thought to be alleged hooligans, assaulted Orobosan Adun, the Warri Wolves FC goalie, before a 2009 away match against Enugu Rangers.
Sadly, Adun died three days after the accident as a result of internal hemorrhaging that happened during a training session.
5. Endurance Idahor
Endurance Idahor collapsed during a game for his Sudanese club Al Merreikh against Alamal Atbara. He passed away in the ambulance.
An autopsy report disclosed that the individual from Nigeria experienced a circulatory collapse due to a cardiac arrest.
6. Cheick Tioté
Tioté was a member of a skilled Cote d’ Ivoire squad that was dominant in the African continent during the mid-2000s.
He was a member of the Ivory Coast national team that won the 2015 African Cup of Nations, and he earned 55 caps for his country.
He had a flourishing playing career in various clubs in Asia and Europe, including Newcastle Enterprises and Beijing, Twente FC, and United Newcastle. He is also considered one of the greatest African players who played for Newcastle.
In 2017, Cheick Tioté, the Ivory Coast’s defensive midfielder, suffered a collapse and lost consciousness during a training session with Beijing Enterprises.
The individual who was 30 years old was declared deceased (as a result of a cardiac arrest) subsequently on that particular day.
Beijing Enterprises retired the number 24 jersey as a tribute to him.
7. Miklós Fehér
Miklós Fehér competed for Benfica versus Vitória de Guimaraes on January 25, 2004.
Fehér, who was a substitute, came on and assisted in the only goal of the game. Benfica were leading 1-0 and the match was being televised live.
During injury time, he was shown a yellow card, leaned forward in apparent discomfort, and subsequently fell backwards onto the field.
Players from both squads promptly rushed to his assistance, and medical personnel swiftly arrived on the field to administer CPR.
He was then transported to the hospital by ambulance, and throughout the day, the Portuguese press covered his state.
Unfortunately, he was unfortunately declared dead before midnight, with the cause of his death being an abnormal heart rhythm caused by a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which involves an enlarged heart.
In honor of Fehér, Benfica retired his number 29 shirt, which he had worn throughout his tenure at the club.
Many in the world of Portuguese sports, including José Mourinho and Reinaldo Teles, visited Luz da Estádio where Fehér’s body remained before his final burial in Hungary, deeply saddened by his passing.
8. Patrick Ekeng
On May 6th, 2016, Patrick Ekeng was introduced as a substitute in the second half of a televised match against Viitorul Constanța.
He had been exhausted that day and had told his closest friend that he did not feel like playing.
Seven minutes after he entered the game, while his team was winning 3-2, he suddenly fell down.
His death was attributed to a cardiac arrest. The healthcare personnel verified that he passed away within a span of two hours and was transferred and revived at the medical center, the young adult of 26 years old.
A investigation conducted by the Romanian interior ministry discovered that the ambulance carrying Ekeng had defective gear and expired medication.
The private corporation in control (Puls) had its permit suspended for 30 days and was fined 23,800 Romanian lei.
Dr. Elena Duta was accused of manslaughter due to claims that she neglected to administer life-saving procedures to Ekeng while in the ambulance.
In June 2020, she received an 18-month suspended conviction, a €200,000 penalty, and 60 days of community work.
9. Luyanda Ntshangase
Luyanda Ntshangase was a professional football player from South Africa who competed for Maritzburg United in the South African Premier Division.
In March 2018, while participating in a friendly game, Luyanda Ntshangase was struck by lightning, resulting in burns to his chest.
Despite being taken to the hospital and placed in an induced coma, he later succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead a day later.
He was just 21 years old.
10. Chineme Martins
Chineme Martins was a Nigerian soccer player who served as a midfielder for Nasarawa United.
He was pronounced dead and taken to the hospital where Martins collapsed on the pitch during a league game against Katsina United in March 2020.
11. Piermario Morosini
In April 2012, Piermario Morosini, a player from Livorno, suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the ground during the 31st minute of an away match against Pescara in Serie B.
He tripped on the floor while attempting to stand up before losing awareness and receiving medical care on the field.
Morosini, who was conscious when he was placed on the stretcher, received treatment with a defibrillator.
According to the news agency ANSA, a city police car blocked the stadium’s exit for the ambulance for almost a minute, but a cardiologist stated that the delay had no impact.
According to reports, some players from Livorno had to leave the field in tears as they were leading 2-0. The match was abandoned and the Italian player was taken to the hospital.
Despite being rushed to the hospital, later reports indicated that Morosini passed away prior to reaching the medical facility.
His demise took place 4 weeks after Fabrice Muamba suffered from a cardiac arrest during an English FA Cup match, but he was able to survive.
12. Chinonso Ihelwere Henry
In a friendly match held in Romania, Henry Ihelwere Chinonso, a 21-year-old, collapsed after just 10 minutes into the game.
With the temperature reaching 40 °C, medical professionals attempted to revive the Nigerian athlete for half an hour before pronouncing him deceased.
Cardiac arrest was the reason behind his demise. There were no indications of any issues, as health examinations were carried out a week prior to his passing. It was reported that he had experienced.
13. Mohammad Fahad
In June 2013, Mohammad Fahad, a midfielder from Kuwait, collided with another player, resulting in a severe brain hemorrhage.
He was in a state of unconsciousness before passing away several days afterwards.
14. Akli Fairuz
Akli Fairuz passed away in 2014 after crashing into an opposing goalie during a game in the Indonesian Premier League.
Fairuz was replaced and admitted to the hospital but passed away as a result of internal hemorrhaging the following day.
15. Albert Ebossé Bodjongo
On August 23rd, during the end of a game, the teams were leaving the field in Algeria when an unknown individual threw a projectile that struck Albert Bodjongo Ebossé on the head.
The game had concluded with a 2-1 loss for his team, with Bodjongo netting the only goal for his team.
He passed away a few hours later in the hospital from a traumatic brain injury, at the young age of 24.
The Algerian Soccer Federation indefinitely halted all soccer events after Bodjongo’s passing and mandated the stadium’s closure on November 1, 1954.
The subsequent post-mortem coroners’ results, released in December 2014, indicated that Bodjongo may have died from a severe beating and not from a projectile as initially claimed.
16. Faty Papy
During a match in April 2019, Papy Faty, a Burundian midfielder who had previously been reported to have a heart condition, tragically passed away and collapsed while playing for Malanti Chiefs.
17. Peter Biaksangzuala
Peter Biaksangzuala was an Indian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for FC Vengthlang Bethlehem in the Premier League Mizoram, which is the elite amateur league of the small North Eastern Indian province of Mizoram.
On October 19, 2014, during a match against Chanmari West FC, Biaksangzuala successfully scored a goal to equalize the score and attempted to commemorate the achievement by performing a somersault.
Unfortunately, on October 23, 2014, at the age of 23, he suffered a spinal cord injury and landed awkwardly, resulting in his death.
18. Nduka Anyanwu
Nduka Anyanwu was a Nigerian footballer who played in defense or midfield for various European clubs, including Eintracht Frankfurt and SV Geinsheim.
In September 2010, during a league match in Germany, player Nigerian Anyanwu Nduka collapsed while playing for Geinsheim SV and could not be revived.
19. Naoki Matsuda
Naoki Matsuda, a Japanese player, collapsed during training in August 2011 due to a cardiac arrest after a 15-minute warmup, and doctors diagnosed his condition as extremely severe.
He passed away 48 hours after.
20. Yair Clavijo
18-year-old Peruvian defender, Yair Clavijo, died during a reserve match for Sporting Cristal against Real Garcilaso on the 20th of June 2013.
The autopsy determined that his reason for passing was a brain inflammation with the bulging of the brain, which occurred due to an enlarged cardiac muscle.