Bordeaux striker Samuel Kalou passed out on the pitch this Sunday during a Ligue 1 game when temperatures reached 30 degrees Celsius.
The 23-year-old Nigeria national team player was defeated and fell on the field early in the match. Concerned teammates gathered around Kalu and frantically waved to the bank for medical attention. After a few seconds, Kalu managed to get up, but was replaced by Remy Udine.
The incident came just two months after Dane Christian Eriksen suffered a cardiac arrest during a Euro 2020 game.
“I was thinking about what happened during the Euro,” admitted Bordeaux coach Vladimir Petkovich. “Together with the medical team, we decided to replace him so as not to risk it. In these cases, football fades into the background.“.
“The Kalu incident gave us chills. It always shocks spectators and players on the pitch, ”Udine said. “With what happened to Eriksen at the Euro, we had to think. Everyone was a little scared. Fortunately, everything worked out. According to the doctors, it was a simple discomfort, but on Monday he will definitely have tests. “
In June 2019, Kalu was hospitalized after dehydration while training with Nigeria in the Egyptian heat during the Africa Cup of Nations.
