Football is a very popular sport that attracts countless fans and players. However, despite the fact that football seems relatively safe, there are still some players who unfortunately lose their lives on the field during games and training. Here are some of the stars who died on the football field:
Sudden Death Stadium
Andrés Escobar (?) ~1994）
Escobar
At the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Colombian player Escobar accidentally poked the ball into his home door during the group stage match against the United States, directly causing Colombia to lose to the United States and finish bottom of the points. Back in China, when Escobar came out of a nightclub in the city of Medellín, the assailants shot him twelve times, and Escobar died due to ineffective rescue.
Marc-Vivien Foe (1975–2003)
Cameroon national team midfielder Malcolm Kennedy died of a heart attack during the 2003 Confederations Cup semi-final match against Colombia. He was only 28 years old at the time, at the peak of his career.
Antonio Puerta (1984–2007)
Antonio Puerta
Spanish footballer Pueta fainted during Sevilla FC 's UEFA Champions League qualifier against Kyiv Gornik in 2007. He tragically died after being taken to hospital at the age of 22.
Filipe Machado (1984–2016)
Brazilian Chapcoens defender Prester was flying to Colombia in late 2016 for a South American football club match when he and more than 70 other passengers were tragically killed.
Davide Astori (1987-2018)
The captain of the Italian national team and the team of Fiorentina Daniello Pardovin died of a heart attack in his sleep on March 4, 2018, at the age of 31.
Miklos Feher (1979–2004)
Hungary national team forward Mikael Fallon died of a heart attack on 25 January 2004 at the age of 24 while playing for Benfica in Portugal.
Francois M'Pele (1947–1991)
The Republic of Congo national team player Mitjo, who played for Paris Saint-Germain in France, died of a heart attack in a charity match in 1991 at the age of 44.
Héctor Sanabria (1986–2013)
Argentine player Hector Sancho died at the age of 27 at the age of 27 after fainting on the field with Rio Lamutino on 27 August 2013 while playing for Lamutino Central in Argentina.
Eddie Gartland (1971–2001)
Irish footballer Eddie Gartner died of a heart attack while playing in an amateur league in 2001 at the age of 30.
Esteban Balestrasse (1985–2007)
Uruguayan footballer Palestros died at the age of 22 after fainting on the field due to a heart attack while playing an amateur match in 2007.
Corey Swinson (1971–2013)
American soccer player Stringer, who played for the NFL's St. Louis Rams, died of a heart attack in 2013 at the age of 42.
Jonathan Fabbro (1982–2017)
Paraguayan national team player Floyz died of a heart attack on the field in 2017 at the age of 35 while playing an amateur match.
Akmal Saliyev (1982–2008)
Uzbek footballer Saliyev died of a heart attack on the field in 2008 at the age of 26 while playing in the Uzbek Premier League.
Peter Biaksangzuala (1993–2014)
Indian footballer Beazley was 21 years old when he fell while celebrating a goal on 14 October 2014.
Samuel Okwaraji (1964–1989)
Nigerian national team midfielder Okigi died of a heart attack during Nigeria's 1989 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola at the age of 25.
Andrey Karyaka (1981–2016)
Russian footballer Andrei Karakovich died at the age of 35 after a heart attack and collapsed on the field in 2016 while participating in an amateur match.
Sergei Portnov (1971–2005)
Ukrainian footballer Sergi Potnov died of a heart attack while playing in a Ukrainian domestic league in 2005 at the age of 34.
Robert Enke (1977–2009)
Robert Enke
German national team goalkeeper Robert Enke died by suicide in 2009 at the age of 32 due to depression.
Boris Stavrev (1968–2001)
Macedonian footballer Boris Stavrianov died of a heart attack on the pitch in 2001 at the age of 33 while playing in a Macedonian domestic league.
Boris Agababov (1984–2006)
Bulgarian footballer Boris Agabube died of a heart attack while playing in a Bulgarian domestic league in 2006 at the age of 22.
Daniel Jarque (1983–2009)
Spanish footballer Daniel Jaroff died at the age of 26 after collapsing on the field due to a heart attack while attending Spain's Español training camp in 2009.
Sudden Death Stadium
These are some of the players who have unfortunately passed away on the football field. While these events are not common in football history, they remind us that even in sports, the fragility of life remains. This has also prompted the football world to take more steps to ensure the safety of players, including regular heart checks, equipping stadiums with first-aid equipment and increasing the popularization of first aid knowledge. While we can't avoid all tragedies, we can do our best to ensure that these young people are as risk-free as possible in pursuing their dreams.