26 year old Espanyol skipper Dani Jarque has died after his heart stopped following a pre-season training session in Coverciano, Italy on Saturday evening.

Club doctors and Italian paramedics from the Florence emergency services tried to revive Jarque, a product of the Espanyol youth system, but without success.

Jarque joins a somber list of notable footballers who have died of heart failure in recent years. In August 2007, 22 year old Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta died after collapsing during the opening game of the Spanish La Liga season. Shortly after that, Motherwell’s Phil O’Donnell died during an SPL game against Dundee United of left ventricular failure.

In 2003, Marc-Vivien Foe died during the Confederations Cup semi-final and 7 months later, Benfica’s Miklos Feher suffered cardiac arrest in a game against Vitoria.

My thoughts and prayers are with the family and loved ones of dani Jarque. My hope is that his soul will rest in peace and that his death might help sports scientists learn something new through his tragic passing, which will benefit athletes around the world.

A statement on the club’s official website read:

“Tragedy struck Espanyol and the family of Dani Jarque this evening. The blanquiazul player died from a cardiac arrest.

“The doctor Cervera carried out CPR on the player and used a defibrillator, which showed that the arrest was non responsive. “After a few minutes the first ambulance arrived from the Florence emergency services, who tried again with the defibrillator they carried.

“The medical services continued carrying out CPR, administering adrenaline and atropine for an hour, but the player’s heart did not react, so finally that determined his death.

“RCD Espanyol, broken with pain, wish to put themselves at the absolute disposition of the family of our captain Dani Jarque, to whom go our warmest thoughts.”

Espanyol, who had been due to play Bologna on Sunday, have suspended their pre-season tour of Italy and will fly back to Barcelona.

Jarque joined Espanyol at the age of 12, making his debut in 2002, and was handed the captaincy this summer.