FC Barcelona star Sergio Aguero has broken his silence after a heart scare saw him leave the Camp Nou pitch before halftime at the weekend, and later ruled out of action for at least three months.
The former Manchester City legend's scare occurred in a 1-1 draw, following which Aguero reportedly revealed to his inner circle that he had felt "very good" and "very involved" in the game until feeling his "pressure rise and his heart rate increase".
Slumping to the turf and attended to by medics, he was soon well enough to leave the pitch unaided but an ambulance then rushed him to Barcelona Hospital.
There, he was diagnosed with a previously undetected cardiac arrhythmia, or heart rate rhythm disorder, and local outlet SPORT relayed he was "stable but worried" while the news had hit him "like a jug of cold water".
Kept under medical observation for at least two nights, further tests resulted in the Catalans making a statement on Twitter Monday evening.
"Barca player Kun Aguero has been subjected to a diagnostic and therapeutic process by Dr. Josep Brugada," it began.
"He is unavailable for selection and, during the next three months, the effectiveness of treatment will be evaluated in order to determine his recovery process."
The setback is a hammer blow for player and club alike.
Joining from City in May, the 33-year-old only made his Blaugrana debut last month due to a calf knock with the Alaves outing his second start for new employers.
Finally breaking his silence after the latest announcement, though, the Argentine has insisted he is "well and in good spirits to face the recovery process".
"I want to thank you all for so many messages of support and love that make my heart stronger today," he added.
Teammates such as Pedri have offered their best wishes by writing "We are with you" to the Copa America winner online.
Putting club rivalries aside, though, El Chiringuito regular guest and staunch Real Madrid fan Tomas Roncero, showed class by saying: "Get well soon, Kun. Health is above all."
Obviously unavailable for tonight's must-win clash away at Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League, Aguero is perhaps looking at a February return at the earliest when Barca have big fixtures with La Liga champions Atletico Madrid and a cross-city derby away at Espanyol.
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