Death in soccer - another victim

Piermario Morosini was on loan from Udinese (Serie A), when he stepped onto the pitch for his temporary club Livorno, as they faced Pescara in a Serie B (Italian second division) match. He was confident that his team would win.

Little did he know that half an hour later, he would not see the end of the match. Or the season. Or ever.

Morosini collapsed 31 minutes into the game from a cardiac arrest. The medics tried to revive him, and the ambulance got to the stadium late, but every effort to try to get Morosini breathing again, was no use. Morosini was 25, just like his jersey number.

Morosini was another player falling to the most common cause of death for soccer players: cardiac arrest or heart failure. He leaves behind his sister, the last of his family, who is moving in with an Udinese player.

It's very tragic to witness such events. No matter what the circumstances are, you can't deny the fact that there are hundreds, not thousands of people looking to the same spot on the pitch, watching in agony, when a player suddenly collapses, and doesn't get up.

Soccer players put their bodies under high demand every day during practices and matches. It's almost crazy what the human body can do to develop and how much it can do. Chasing the ball for 45 minutes straight is a lot on the player and his body, but they can pull it off no problem. Science at an amazing level.

But let's not forget that not every player is safe from heart failures. It can happen to anyone. Awareness needs to be kept high. We can't completely eliminate cardiac arrests overnight, but we can at least work to prevent them from happening more often.

Rest in Peace, Morosini, and this also goes to everyone else in heaven, who have died playing the (still) beautiful game.