Espanyol captain and defender Dani Jarque, 26, has died from heart failure while on a pre-season tour of Italy, the Primera Liga club said on their website (www.rcdespanyol.com) on Saturday. Jarque had trained in the morning but collapsed in his hotel room in Coverciano while talking to his girlfriend on the telephone in the early evening, reports said.

"The Espanyol player died due to a systolic heart failure," the club said. "(Club doctor) Doctor Cervera tried CPR on the player and used a defibrillator but said it was not possible to resuscitate." Within minutes, the first emergency ambulances arrived from Florence, and tried their defibrillators but again were unable to resuscitate. Medical services tried to revive him for an hour before pronouncing him dead.

"Espanyol are distraught and wish to put themselves at the complete disposal of our captain's family," they added. Club director German de la Cruz told radio station RAC1: "It's inexplicable. It's horrific. The players are destroyed. One minute he was there with them, and the next he's gone.
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His death comes two years after Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta, 22, died of heart failure after collapsing during a Spanish league game.

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

R.I.P DANI JARQUE

R.I.P Dani Jarque

Far far to young

R.I.P dani

R.I.P

R.I.P thoughts go out to all his family and friends!

Rest In Peace Dani Jargue.

R.I.P Dani Jargue

R.I.P

R.I.P

Another sudden death in football. RIP.

Here's another similar case in Ireland from a few years back: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cormac_McAnallen