Playing football with any cardiovascular disease may seem impossible. However, very few footballers have suffered from heart conditions, and have continued to play professionally.
Following the news that former Premier League defender Tom Lockyer has been cleared to play football again, following his two cardiac arrest incidents, here are five players that have overcome the struggles.
Christian Eriksen:
Arguably the most famous example, Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest at the Euro 2020 tournament in June 2021. Denmark were playing Finland when the midfielder suddenly collapsed. The ground went silent and Eriksen was required immediate CPR and defibrillation. He was stretched off and rushed to the nearest hospital.
The quick actions of the medical staff saved the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder that day. Eriksen has since been fitted with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) to prevent future cardiac events.
After a period of testing and recovery, Eriksen was able to resume his football career. The Dane initially trained and signed for Brentford for a short spell where he made 11 appearances for The Bees. He went on to sign for Manchester United and represented them 73 times.
Sam Hutchinson
Former Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday player Sam Hutchinson suffered a heart attack during a match, but continued to play on. In fixture between AFC Wimbledon and Grimsby Town on the 3rd May 2025.
“I felt rubbish during the game for some reason,” Hutchinson said after the game, before the diagnosis.
“I had a tight chest and wanted to come off after six minutes but I just battled on through like an old warhorse.”
The defender went on to score the winning goal which secured Wimbledon their playoff spot.
Hutchinson continued to experience heart issues on their return home from the game, the team bus was forced to take a detour via a hospital.
“We got back on the coach afterwards and I started to get more chest pains as the adrenaline wore off,” he told the club.
“We ended up stopping in Nottingham (hospital) on our way back and they essentially told me I’d had a heart attack.
Hutchinson admitted he “broke down” after finding out, due to the prospect of never playing football again.
However, it wasn’t as bad as first seemed and he was able to keep playing football. The 35-year-old was “devastated” to miss the playoff final, which saw The Dons overcome Walsall and gain promotion to Sky Bet League One.
Tom Lockyer
Having previously collapsed in the Sky Bet Championship playoff final between Luton and Coventry in 2023, it was a huge scare when the former Luton captain fell to the floor in a Premier League match against Bournemouth in December 2023.
The Welshmen suffered a cardiac arrest and he was unconscious for over two minutes before being revived by medical staff on the pitch.
Once Lockyer was conscious, he remained unable to move or speak at first. He was then fitted with an implanted defibrillator device.
2 years on – and having recently been cleared to play football again – the defender is currently training with boyhood club Bristol Rovers where he is likely to sign a deal with the Gas until the end of the season, in what would be a remarkable comeback.
Adam Lallana
The recently retired Adam Lallana had a heart scare all the way back in 2004 when he was just 16 years old.
Adam Lallana was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat ( arrhythmia) which required corrective surgery . The condition, which could cause his heart to race to 230 beats per minute at rest, well above the average.
Speaking to Liverpool, Lallana said: “It was frustrating at the time. I didn’t really have any symptoms, it was just the heart-rate monitors that we wore revealed I was spiking at irregular beats. I was very young at the time and probably didn’t really understand the severity of it.”
“I learned a lot from my own issue being so young. I didn’t play for four or five months. I felt well enough to play and didn’t see the issue, but now I fully understand why.”
The midfielder went through a routine keyhole surgery operation to fix the irregular heartbeat. He went on to have a very successful career, playing for Southampton, Liverpool and Brighton, even representing England on 34 occasions.
Colby Bishop
After detecting a “potential risk”, Porstmouth striker Colby Bishop underwent open-heart surgery in the summer of 2024 after a routine cardiac screening.
“I’m not going to lie to you it was horrific,” Bishop told BBC Radio Solent.
“I had a 12-day-old baby by the time I had the surgery, I wasn’t guaranteed anything at all throughout the process but right now life is good, so I’m very grateful.
“It was strange for me because when I was told I needed the operation I felt completely fine.”
The forward missed the first three months of the Championship season, before making a suprise return to the matchday squad on the 9th November as Pompey hosted Preston.
Bishop came on and scored a penalty in his first appearances in months, as Portsmouth gained their first home league victory.
“I found out over the last few days before the game that I could get back into the squad, to say I was over the moon was an understatement.
“Through the whole three months all I’ve through about is getting back to Fratton Park and scoring a goal, I thought it would take a bit longer but I’m delighted it’s come so soon.”
