Raphael Dwamena, Christian Eriksen Among 6 Footballers Who Collapsed on the Pitch While Playing

• Raphael Dwamena collapsed during a league game in Albania and passed away
• It is not the first time that players have collapsed on the football pitch
• While some have managed to survive such incidents, it has proven fatal for others

Ghana international Raphael Dwamena has passed away after collapsing on the pitch during a league game in Albania on Saturday afternoon, November 11.

The sad incident happened during a game between his side, Egnatia Rrogozhine and Partizani, as he suffered what has been described as a cardiac arrest.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a player has collapsed on the pitch. While a few could not make it, others have survived such traumatic incidents.

Here, we look at five other players who collapsed on the pitch

Tom Lockyer – 2023:

During the 2023 Championship play-off final against Coventry City, Luton Town star Tom Lockyer collapsed in the 11th minute. He was rushed to the hospital.

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According to GOAL, the Welshman Lockyer, no one was around him when the incident occurred, but he was tended to quickly by medical staff.

He responded well to treatment and has since recovered. Lockyer has made 10 Premier League appearances for his club this season.

Christian Eriksen – 2021:

The football world was sent into a panic mode when Christian Eriksen shockingly collapsed on the field of play during the Euro 2020 fixture between his Denmark football team and Finland.

The then Inter Milan star suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to the hospital.

He had surgery and an implantable cardioverter defibrillator fitted into his heart. He left the Italian club and was later signed by Brentford and now Manchester United.

Marc-Vivien Foe – 2003:

On June 26, 2003, during the Confederations Cup semi-final between Cameroon and Colombia, Marc-Vivien Foe fatally collapsed.

He was jogging along innocuously in the 73rd minute when he collapsed inside Lyon's Stade de Gerland.

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No one was close to him at the time, and he just went down inside the centre circle.

Fabrice Muamba – 2012:

Fabrice Muamba was ‘dead’ for 78 minutes in 2012 when he collapsed during an FA Cup tie between Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

The incident occurred in the 43rd minute when he dropped on the turf as his heart was no longer beating.

Two weeks after the incident, a photograph of Muamba sitting up in his hospital bed and smiling was released. He has since retired from professional football.

Cheick Tiote – 2017:

Ivorian international midfielder Cheick Tiote passed away at the age of 30 after falling unconscious while training with Beijing Enterprises, who signed the player in February 2017.

Tiote collapsed during training with the Chinese League One club, and sadly could not make it.

Gyan leads tributes to Dwamena

Sports Brief earlier reported that former Ghana captain Asamoah Gyan paid tribute to Raphael Dwamena, the ex-Black Stars forward who died during a league game in Albania on Saturday.

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Dwamena collapsed and died in the game between FK Egnati and FK Partizani.

Gyan, who played alongside Dwamena, as strike partners for the Black Stars during the 28-year-old's debut, took to social media to pay his respect.