Greek footballer dies at 21 after collapsing during match
A Greek football star has died aged 21 after collapsing during a match, with an ambulance reportedly arriving to the stadium 20 minutes after the incident.
Alexandros Lampis collapsed to the turf just five minutes into his appearance for third-tier southeastern Athens outfit Ilioupoli against Ermionida.
Reports in Greece said doctors attempted to resuscitate the young player on the pitch before calling for a defibrillator.
An ambulance did not arrive until 20 minutes after the incident as Lampis was transferred to hospital, but passed away.
The tragedy was confirmed by his club in a social media post, with some reports stating he had suffered a cardiac arrest.
"Our Aleko, our friend, our brother, you left so unjustly," wrote Ilioupoli in Greek.
"The whole team, the whole city is mourning today.
"The words do not come out... only an unbearable pain and a knot in the stomach. Have a good trip, Alecara," the club finished.
Lampis' tragedy is just the latest horror to strike football since Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 match for Denmark against Finland last summer.
With the help of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur playmaker has recently returned to the sport by penning a six-month deal with Premier League new boys Brentford.
But his contract with reigning Italian champions Inter Milan was terminated due to Serie A rules prohibiting the use of the device by players.
Over in Spain, Sergio Aguero had to retire after being diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia after exiting an FC Barcelona match with Alaves in late October.
More recently, in January, James Rodriguez was dubbed a "hero" in Qatar when rushing to the aid of a rival player who suffered a heart attack in a league match between Al-Rayyan and Al-Wakrah.
As Ousmane Coulibaly collapsed near one of the goals in the first half, the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner rushed to attend him and lifted his head in a move that doctors say was "vital" in saving the Malian's life as it allowed him to breathe properly.
Before that, however, at the turn of 2022, 25-year-old Deportivo Marquense defender Marcos Menaldo died in Guatemala after suffering a heart attack in training.
