Death is inevitable as we are all destined to die someday. We all know that Death is an unavoidable debt which is a must for everyone to pay.
No one knows the minute, hour or day when they will die, but the prayer of everyone is to die without struggle.

Footballers are people who serve their fatherland (Played for their Country) and when they shine while representing their country either in the world cup or other leagues they get signed by popular clubs where they have to settle down and earn a living.

Today I will be talking about popular football stars who died on the pitch either while representing their country or clubs.

There are over 120 professional footballers who slumped and died during a football match or from injuries sustained while playing, or after being taken ill on the pitch.

The first death recorded for a player on the pitch was on January 13, 1889, which an English footballer called William Cropper who played for Staveley FC, suffered a ruptured bowel in a match against Grimsby Town which led to his death the next day.
He was aged 26 when he died.

So now, I will employ the countdown rule and start counting down from number 8.

8. Patrick Ekeng

Patrick Ekeng is a Cameroonian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He had two international caps for his country's national team, which he represented at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Patrick Ekeng died on May 6, 2016, at the age of 26.

It was reported that he collapsed during a match against FC Viitorul Constanta.

On that day he came up as a substitute into the match and seven minutes after substitution he collapsed while playing.
He was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he died two hours later.


7. Cheick Tiote

Cheick Ismaël Tioté was an Ivorian footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.
He made his professional debut in 2005 with Belgium's Anderlecht. In 2008, he joined Dutch club FC Twente, winning the Eredivisie league during his second season at the club.

He then moved on to premier league (England) where he signed for Newcastle United for a transfer fee of £3.5 million.
Tioté made an appearance of 156 games for Newcastle over six-and-a-half seasons, scoring only one goal.
In early 2017, he joined Beijing Enterprises of the China League One, where he died in June during a training session, at the age of 30.


Source

https://www.sogsports.com.ng/2019/12/8-footballers-who-died-while-playing.html