Heart Defect Forces Real Madrid Midfielder Into Retirement Aged 25
By Chris Wright
Real Madrid have announced the sad news that midfielder Ruben De La Red has been forced to retire from football aged just 25 due to the heart problem that has prevented him from playing for the last two years.
De La Red collapsed on the pitch just 13 minutes into Madrid’s Copa del Rey tie with Real Union back in October of 2008, and was later diagnosed with the defect after regained consciousness.
So said the man himself:
“I’ve fought against this in vain and doctors advised me to stop. I always dreamt of becoming a football player and to be successful at this club, which is the greatest in the world.
Real Madrid has watched me grow since I joined the Under-10 side and now it sees me retire from the game. I want to become a coach now.
I may have a problem in my heart, but it still beats for Madridismo.”
Goddamn shame if you ask me. De La Red showed fleeting glimpses of developing into a world beater at Madrid, during his time at Getafe and with the Spanish national side.
However, with the tragic and untimely deaths of Sevilla wing-back Antonio Puerta and Espanyol captain Dani Jarque still looming large in the collective memories of everyone involved with Spanish football, I’d wager that a premature retirement is definitely the right choice to have made.
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Unfortunate, I remember watching him play a few times when he was at Getafe and he was a very effective playmaker.. like Gago or a more advanced Alonso ,in-keeping with Madrid.
It’s sad for any player to retire at 25 and I wish him all the best.
i feel sorry foir him…. all the bvest ruben de la red
Is it me or is there a lot of this in Spain? Is it that there are a lot of heart defects over there or that people everywhere else have them but just aren’t detecting it?
I was going to say exactly the same Jon. They all seemed to be players that had serious potential too.
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So sad, he was such a talent. Great move by Madrid to make him a coach in the academy though.
Jon and Jonas make good points, but this sucks, he’s 25! he was great!