Former Netherlands striker Bas Dost has ended his playing career nearly two years after suffering a cardiac arrest on the field during a Dutch top-flight game, the 36-year-old told the Algemeen Dagblad newspaper in an interview published on Friday.
Dost, a former VfL Wolfsburg, Sporting and Eintracht Frankfurt forward, was playing for NEC Nijmegen when he collapsed on the pitch at AZ Alkmaar in October 2023. He was rushed to hospital and the game was later abandoned.
The Dutchman said he was aiming to play again before doctors detected further complications with his health this year.
"I was allowed to jog on the treadmill, which was so cool. Until I got a call from the cardiologist in June. They had detected 'something' during a training session. That moment changed everything," Dost was quoted as saying.
"I thought, I don't want this. You don't want to gamble with your life. I thought about it for two weeks and then made the decision."