Almunia had to take over the giant hole left by Jens Lehmann, a tough act to follow

Former Arsenal goalie Manuel Almunia retired from the game after he was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy deemed the silent killer. The same heart condition claimed the life of Marc Vivien Foe and Miklos Feher.

Almunia was undergoing a cardiac work up prior to joining Cagliari as a free agent from Watford when his heart condition was discovered. A more specific type of cardiomyopathy, ARVD was suspected in causing the collapse and death of Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta on the pitch. Such heart conditions also fall under the umbrella of Sudden Death Syndrome because of the lack of overt symptoms and signs before the onset of cardiac arrest in young athletes. Two years ago, the football world reacted with shock and horror when Fabrice Muamba collapsed in dramatic fashion on the pitch lay unmoving for several minutes during an FA Cup match between Bolton and Spurs. He was fortunately saved by the prompt medical attention given to him by the emergency personnel who used CPR and a defibrillator to revive him. Not so fortunate were footballers, Phil O’Donnell, Daniel Jarque and Piermario Morosini, succumbing to heart attacks. A heart condition also cut short the promising career of Real Madrid midfielder, Ruben De La Red.

Most clubs in the major football leagues now carry defibrillators as a precautionary measure. Poorer, less developed leagues have suffered a number of deaths over the years that could have been avoided with access to such life saving devices.

Anyways, we wish Manuel all the best. Retiring was wisest thing to do given the risk involved with such a heart condition.