Lille midfielder Nabil Bentaleb suffered potentially career-ending cardiac arrest | OneFootball

Lille OSC midfielder Nabil Bentaleb (29) went into cardiac arrest on Tuesday, June 18th, according to a report from RMC Sport. The same day, the Ligue 1 club announced in a press release that Bentaleb had been admitted to Lille University Hospital. Since then, Lille provided positive news for the Algerian international, mentioning that the latter had undergone numerous tests which proved reassuring.

French football insider Mohamed Toubache-Ter understands that Nabil Bentaleb went into cardiac arrest when arriving at a five-a-side pitch on June 18th. The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder’s life was saved thanks to the quick reflexes of his friends, who used a defibrillator and did CPR on him, and the swift intervention of first responders. The outlet reports that Nabil Bentaleb underwent successful surgery this Wednesday to be fitted with a pacemaker-defibrillator to stabilize his cardiac activity.

Bentaleb likely to retire following cardiac arrest

Bentaleb’s move to Lille last summer was delayed due to issues raised during the Algerian international’s medical. An asymptomatic inflammation of the myocardium (a muscle in the heart) had been revealed. It did not prevent Bentaleb and Lille from shaking hands over a three-year contract, set to expire in 2026. Unfortunately, Nabil Bentaleb’s latest ordeal may put his playing career in jeopardy, with RMC Sport reporting that retirement is highly likely. The French FA Medical Commission is expected to adjudicate on the matter and the likelier outcome is for Nabil Bentaleb to call it quits at 29.

GFFN | Bastien Cheval