12/21/24
August 29, 2007
Mourning in Seville: Thousands turned out for the memorial service for 22-year-old Antonio Puerta, a defender who died Tuesday after suffering a heart attack on the pitch. Spanish newspaper La Razon said, “the heart of football has stopped.” News24 has a brief history of recent soccer deaths; amazing how so many young adults, in peak physical condition, are felled by cardiac problems that go undetected by team doctors during physicals.
posted by The_Black_Hand to soccer at 04:50 PM - 3 comments
See, this is why I don't exercise. I may an undetected problem... Yes, that's it...
posted by Drood at 12:18 AM on August 30, 2007
I know this is probably inappropriate, but I once saw Asa Hartford play for Manchester City against Derby. The Derby fans at our end sang, to the tune of "There's a Hole in the Bucket...": "There's a hole in your heart, dear Asa, dear Asa There's a hole in your heart, dear Asa, a hole." Well, it was funny at the time.
posted by owlhouse at 01:52 AM on August 30, 2007
Of course the medicos have picked up heart conditions and problems - Kanu at Inter (1996) and famously Asa Hartford (during a Leeds pre-transfer medical in 1971). Both kept going and it didn't seem to affect their subsequent careers. Kanu has since founded a heart disease charity based in Africa. None of this helps Antonio Puerta, of course. I guess the strain of professional sports magnifies any small problems that might go unnoticed in everyday jobs and amateur level sports.