Very sad news

Dani Jarque, central defender and captain of RCD Espanyol, has passed away at the age of 26. Spanish newspapers report the Spanish player was found dead in his hotel room in Converciano, Italy from an apparent heart failure during Espanyol's pre-season tour of Italy. Jarque was on the phone with his girlfriend, who is pregnant with their first child, when he suddenly stopped talking. She informed teammate Ferran Corominas, who then informed teammate Moisés Hurtado as the rest of team felt his absence during a team meal. He was found unconscious and doctors tried to revive him, but without success.

From watching Jarque play, I can tell everyone first hand that this was a talented player who deserved all the success in the world. He was a natural leader who set an example to the rest of his teammates on how to be a true professional. From watching his press conference you could tell this was a man who was always in a good mood while speaking to reporters and really enjoyed doing what he did.

This comes almost 2 years after the passing of 22 year-old Antonio Puerta, former midfielder for Sevilla, who suffered from an inherited heart disease. Puerta collapsed during a game against Getafe, and after recovering and being substituted, collapsed again in the dressing room before being taken to the hospital. Doctors say he suffered a clot in his brain, which then triggered a heart attack due to his heart condition. All this goes without mentioning many other soccer players like Marc-Vivien Foé and Miklós Fehér, who passed away from the same undiagnosed heart condition.

The point I'm trying to make is that clubs around the world should not allow players to play until they have been fully examined and tested for various heart conditions or any other disease that might cause sudden death. These men are dying way too young from something that could have been diagnosed and treated, thus prolonging their lives. Regardless of what club they play for, big or small, every time a passing of this nature happens, it shocks the entire world of soccer. I hope clubs take the necessary measures to prevent this from ever happening again as this is a very serious problem.