Footballer’s tragic death seconds after being given yellow card in middle of match

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT A young player collapsed and died minutes after assisting a goal during a football match – as teammates and audience members watched in shock

Dozens of football players on the pitch and thousands of football fans were horrified to witness the death of one young, talented player, who passed away on the pitch mid-game.

24-year-old Miklos Feher was a Hungarian striker part of the Benfica squad on the day of his death in 2004. During the team’s rainy match against Vitoria Guimaraes, Miklos came onto the pitch in the 60th minute and two minutes later assisted Fernando Aguiar on the only goal that would come out of that 2004 game.

Seconds before the televised match drew to a close, at minute 91, referee Olegario Benquerença issued Miklos a yellow card for wasting time on the pitch.

As he reacted to the card shown, Miklos smiled, bent over with his hands on his knees, and then fell backwards, prompting teammates and rivals to run to his side.

Audiences watched, confused, as the minutes passed with Miklos lying motionless and the people on the pitch growing increasingly desperate – fellow players heartbreakingly dropped to their knees in prayer, while club personnel, including coach Jose Antonio Camacho, were seen crying.

Miklos received medical attention at the stadium, before being taken by ambulance – which arrived late due to “access difficulties” – to the nearest hospital.

The match resumed once it became apparent that the medical team had revived Miklos, with the remaining athletes playing out the final moments after he was taken for further treatment.

But, according to an autopsy report later released, the Hungarian player was pronounced dead at 11pm that day, a victim of a fatal heart attack of natural causes.

According to Benfica’s medical team, the player had undergone exhaustive medical tests, including an electrocardiogram on his heart and drug testing, just one month before his death, and nothing unusual was found in his system.

Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias later claimed that analysis of tissue samples indicated Miklos suffered from a congenital heart deformity that had not been detected by the clubs he played for.

Tributes soon poured from his teammates, former colleagues and the team’s crew – all of whom described him as a friendly, exemplary player.

The jersey – which was torn to allow medics to use the defibrillator – and the boots Miklos was wearing at the time of his death are now displayed at the Benfica Museum in Portugal. Since then, Benfica has retired the number 29 in his memory.

His Primeira Liga championship medal was posthumously presented to his grieving parents, and both Benfica and the Hungarian national team regularly hold commemorative tributes, laying wreaths and honouring his memory at home stadiums and Miklos’ gravesite.