Saturday 21 May 2016 08:53, UK
Former France international David Ginola is recovering in hospital after undergoing quadruple bypass heart surgery.
The Centre Cardio-Thoracique de Monaco confirmed that Ginola was admitted to their Cardiac Unit on Thursday night before undergoing successful surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.
Professor Gilles Dreyfus told Sky Sports News HQ: "He had a heart attack on the pitch while playing football with friends and was given CPR immediately.
"The emergency services arrived within eight minutes. He was shocked with a defibrillator several times to establish a regular heart beat."
From there Ginola was airlifted to Monaco where he was placed into an induced coma and rushed into surgery where he was given a quadruple bypass.
Professor Dreyfus added: "The operation was a success he is now awake, talking and has been seen by his family. There is no brain damage, no impaired heart function and he should make a full recovery."
The surgeon also praised the quick thinking of Ginola's friends on the pitch for giving him instant CPR and also the emergency services.
"He is very lucky," he said. "He had almost the perfect chain of events after collapse to give him the best chance of a full recovery."
There has also been some confusion over the 49-year-old's condition initially because his agent said that he had fainted while later on Thursday evening a tweet was sent from his account reading: "Footy match in the midday sun, not very clever. Now having some tests done. Who ever voted for a World Cup in Qatar in the summer?"
A second tweet appeared on Friday lunchtime saying: "Hello world, never slept better. I'm fine, just need to rest a bit. Thank you so much all of you for your magnificent support."
Ginola signed for Newcastle United for £2.5m in 1995 and went on to make a total of 195 Premier League appearances for them, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton over a seven year period, scoring 22 goals.
