Christian Eriksen, Kanu, Iker Casillas and other footballers to suffer cardiac-related illness – in pictures

A look at the most recent cases of players who have either survived or died due to heart disease

Luton Town manager Rob Edwards gestures as his player Tom Lockyer receives treatment on the pitch during the English Premier League match against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, in Bournemouth, England, on Saturday, December 16, 2023. Play was suspended after the hour mark as Lockyer fell to the ground with no other player near him. The match was later abandoned. Lockyer, 29, was rushed to a nearby hospital where the club said his condition was stable. AP

Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch shortly before half time during Denmark's opening Euro 2020 match against Finland in Copenhagen. Danish medical staff later admitted they 'lost' Eriksen before reviving him and later confirmed the midfielder, 29, had suffered a heart attack but that there was 'no explanation' for Eriksen's condition. AFP

Former Real Madrid and Spain captain Iker Casillas was rushed to hospital in 2019 after suffering a heart attack while training with Portuguese giants Porto. The club said Casillas suffered an 'acute myocardial infarction'. Though he made a full recovery, Casillas never played again and officially retired in August 2020. Reuters

Dutch defender Daley Blind was diagnosed with heart muscle inflammation in December 2019 after suffering from dizziness in a Champions League clash with Valencia. He was subsequently fitted with an electronic device called the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD). The Ajax defender suffered a scare during a friendly match in August when the pacemaker he uses to treat dangerously abnormal heart rhythms failed and he collapsed again – although it was later described as a one-off incident. AFP

Not long after helping Nigeria to an Olympic gold medal in the 1996 Atlanta Games, Nwankwo Kanu underwent a medical examination while at Inter Milan, which revealed a heart defect. The then 20-year-old underwent surgery to replace an aortic valve and did not return to the Serie A club until the following year. Getty Images

Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe collapsed and died on June 26, 2003 during a Fifa Confederations Cup semi-final match against Colombia. An autopsy revealed the former Manchester City midfielder suffered with a heredity heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is known to increase the risk of sudden death during physical exercise. He was 28. AFP

Even before he made an appearance for Bolton Wanderers Senegal international Khalilou Fadiga had collapsed prior to a match in October 2004. He had to be fitted with a defibrillator due to an irregular heartbeat. However, Fadiga returned to the Bolton squad in early 2005 and played in five games. AFP

Leyton Orient footballer Andy Scott was forced to retire in April 2005, at the age of 32, after being diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition similar to that of Marc-Vivien Foe's. PA

Zaire-born English footballer Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed during the first half of an FA Cup quarter-final match between Bolton and Tottenham Hotspur on March 17, 2012. The then 23-year-old received attention on the pitch from medical personnel before being taken to the specialist coronary care unit of the London Chest Hospital. He survived but retired from football subsequently. Getty Images

Piermario Morosini collapsed during the first half of Livorno's Serie B match at Pescara on April 14, 2012. The Italian died at the age of 25 after suffering cardiac arrest. AFP

Belgian defender Gregory Mertens suffered a cardiac arrest during a reserve game for Lokeren against KRC Genk on April 27, 2015. He died three days later age 24. Getty Images

Former Newcastle United and Ivory Coast midfielder Cheick Tiote died on 5 June 2017 age 30 after suffering a cardiac arrest at a training session in Beijing. Getty Images

Davide Astori died on March 4, 2018 in his sleep in a hotel in Udine prior to Fiorentina's match against Udinese. An autopsy showed the 31-year-old Italian defender died due to cardiac arrest. Reuters

Papy Faty, a 28-year-old Burundian midfielder, collapsed and died on April 25 while playing a match in Eswatini – formerly Swaziland – for Malanti Chiefs FC. Faty had a history of heart complications having previously collapsed during a friendly match for a South African club in Johannesburg in December 2015. Getty Images

Denmark's team doctor said there was still "no explanation" for why midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsed during his country's opening Euro 2020 game against Finland on Saturday, but confirmed he had suffered a cardiac arrest.

"He was gone, and we did cardiac resuscitation," team doctor Morten Boesen told a press conference.

"How close were we? I don't know. We got him back after one defib [defibrillation], so that's quite fast," Boesen added.

And while the early signs in Eriksen's recovery are encouraging - the Danish FA describe his condition as stable - questions over his long-term future as a professional are bound to surface.

The 29-year-old suffering cardiac-related illness is rare but by no means new phenomena among footballers.

Iker Casillas was rushed to hospital in April 2019 after suffering an "acute myocardial infarction" while training with Portuguese club Porto.

The former Spain and Real Madrid goalkeeper made a full recovery but never played again before officially hanging up his boots in August 2020.

Heart problems in footballers disproportionately affect African players, studies show.

Burundi international Papy Faty died after collapsing during an eSwatini – formerly Swaziland – league match in 2019 while former Manchester City midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe lost his life after suffering heart problems during a 2003 Confederations Cup match on international duty with Cameroon.