What happened to Netherlands star Daley Blind, and does the ex-Man Utd player wear a pacemaker?
DALEY BLIND has been in fabulous form for the Netherlands at the World Cup.
Louis van Gaal’s side topped their group with seven points, beating Senegal, drawing with Ecuador and winning their clash against Qatar.
And now they’re in action against the USA in the last-16 of the competition, with a place in the quarter-final up for grabs.
Ex-Manchester United star Blind got himself on the scoresheet with a fine finish after a sweeping move, making it 2-0 to the Dutch.
Blind, who plays for Ajax again, has been instrumental for Netherlands so far.
But it hasn’t been all plane sailing since he left Old Trafford in 2018.
What happened to Daley Blind’s heart?
Blind was playing for Ajax in 2019 against Valencia in the Champions League when he complained he was suffering of dizziness.
AFter the game, Blind was taken for a medical examination and he was diagnosed with a heart muscle inflammation.
Blind continued to play after his diagnosis, but in 2020 he collapsed in a pre-season friendly against Hertha Berlin.
The left-back was fitted with a pacemaker soon after and is back playing at his best for both Ajax and the Netherlands.
His former team-mate at Ajax Christian Eriksen collapsed Denmark’s Euro 2020 clash against Finaland last year.
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And Blind recalled the incident having a massive impact on him.
“[Saturday] had a huge impact on me, never mind the fact that I know Christian well as a friend,” Blind said.
“The situation for him is terrible. Of course, I have also experienced a few things in that area, so that I had to overcome a mental hurdle to play.
“I had to persuade myself to play but I’m proud that I did and that’s why my emotion came bursting out at the end of the game.
“I definitely thought about not taking part. The images on television and the incident had a big impact and I didn’t sleep very well because of them. I really had to overcome a big hurdle to do this.
“If it didn’t go well, it would have haunted my head even more.
“When Christian encouraged his own team-mates to play is when I decided to play myself. Also because I’m safe, according to the doctors.”