• August 08, 2009: Spain’s Barcelona based club Espanyol defender Dani Jarque had died of systolic heart failure during the pre-season in Italy at the hotel where the team were staying in the town of Coviciana.

He was found after teammates realized he had not come for an evening meal. Jarque joined Espanyol at the age of 12, making his debut in 2002, and was given the captaincy this summer as a reward for his strong performances.

• August 28, 2007: Spain and Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta died following a heart attack, becoming the latest footballer to die suddenly while playing. Doctor Francisco Murillo reported that Puerta had suffered multiple organ failure and irreversible brain damage as a result of multiple prolonged cardiac arrests due to an incurable, hereditary heart disease known as arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

• April 11, 2006: Colombian teenager Victor Alfonso Guerrero, 17, died during a training session for the reserve side of Colombian first division club Envigado FC. He collapsed and lost consciousness, and died on the way to hospital.

• June 25, 2005: Hugo Cunha, a 28-year-old midfielder with Portuguese top flight side Uniao Leiria, died while playing a match with friends. Cunha suffered a heart attack and was unable to be resuscitated by the emergency services.

• Oct 27, 2004: Brazilian Serginho, 30, collapsed during a Brazilian first division match between his club Sao Caetano and Sao Paulo and later died. His death caused a huge controversy after the autopsy revealed that his heart weighed 600g, twice the normal size. Sao Caetano, the club’s president and the
doctor were sanctioned by Brazil’s sporting authorities.

• Jan 25, 2004: Benfica’s Hungarian international striker Miklos Feher, 24, collapsed during a Portuguese league match against Vitoria Guimaraes and never regained consciousness. The autopsy revealed he had suffered from a heart malformation.

• June 26, 2003: Cameroon international Marc-Vivien Foe died while playing against Colombia in the semifinal of the Confederations Cup. The Manchester City player collapsed in the centre circle and all
efforts to save him failed. An autopsy revealed he had a disorder of his heart’s electrical system.

• Dec 2002: Macedonian defender Stefan Toleski died of a suspected heart attack. He collapsed halfway through the first half of his side FK Napredok’s league match against Kumanovo and later died in hospital.

• Feb 2000: John Ikoroma, a 17-year-old Nigerian youth international, suffered a heart attack during a friendly match in the United Arab Emirates. He was in a trial match for Al-Wahda against Kazakh Club Astona when he collapsed 20 minutes before the final whistle. He died in hospital.

• 1997: Emmanuel Awanegbo, a Nigerian playing in Germany, died after only 12 minutes
of play.The death was attributed to cardiac arrest.

• 1995: Amir Angwe, 29, a striker for the Julius Berger Club of Nigeria, collapsed a minute before the end of an African Cup Winner’s Cup semifinal match with Maxaquene of Mozambique. Doctors believe
he died of a heart attack.

• 1989: Nigerian international Samuel Okwaraji, who had signed as a professional for AS Roma in Italy after stopping his university studies in Rome, died during a World Cup qualifier between the Super Eagles and Angola.