Dozens of players on the pitch and thousands of fans watched in horror as a young footballer collapsed and died during a televised match in 2004. Miklos Feher, a 24-year-old Hungarian striker for Benfica, passed away on the pitch mid-game.
Collapse after yellow card
Feher came on as a substitute in the 60th minute of the rainy match against Vitoria Guimaraes. Two minutes later, he assisted Fernando Aguiar for the only goal of the game. In the 91st minute, referee Olegario Benquerença showed him a yellow card for wasting time.
As he reacted to the card, Feher smiled, bent over with his hands on his knees, and then fell backwards. Teammates and rivals rushed to his side as he lay motionless.
Desperate scenes on the pitch
Fellow players dropped to their knees in prayer, while club staff, including coach Jose Antonio Camacho, were seen crying. Feher received medical attention at the stadium before being taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital. The ambulance arrived late due to "access difficulties."
The match resumed once medical staff revived Feher, with players finishing the final moments after he was taken for further treatment. However, an autopsy report later confirmed he was pronounced dead at 11pm that day from a fatal heart attack of natural causes.
Medical tests and tributes
Benfica's medical team said Feher had undergone exhaustive tests, including an electrocardiogram and drug testing, just one month before his death, with nothing unusual found. Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Noticias later claimed tissue analysis indicated a congenital heart deformity undetected by his clubs.
Tributes poured in from teammates and former colleagues, who described him as a friendly, exemplary player. His torn jersey and boots from the match are displayed at the Benfica Museum, and the club retired the number 29 in his memory. His Primeira Liga championship medal was posthumously given to his parents, and Benfica and the Hungarian national team hold regular commemorative tributes at stadiums and his gravesite.
