Tragic Heroes: 5 Football Stars Whose Lives Ended on Pitch
Over the years, football has witnessed tragic incidents where players have passed away while playing the game. Here are ten players who tragically lost their lives on the pitch:
- Patrick Ekeng – The Cameroonian midfielder collapsed while playing for Dinamo Bucharest in Romania in 2016, later dying in hospital from heart-related problems.
- Samuel Sochukwuma Okwaraji was another footballer who tragically passed away on the pitch. Okwaraji was a Nigerian professional footballer who collapsed and died of congestive heart failure during a World Cup qualification match between Nigeria and Angola at the National Stadium in Lagos, Nigeria, on August 12, 1989
- Phil O’Donnell – The Scottish midfielder collapsed on the field due to heart failure while playing for Motherwell FC in 2007.
- Miklós Fehér – The Hungarian player suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch while playing for Benfica in a Portuguese league match in 2004.
- Antonio Puerta – The Sevilla FC midfielder collapsed during a match in 2007 and died three days later due to multiple organ failure stemming from prolonged cardiac arrest.