Former Newcastle midfielder now considering retirement after cardiac arrest

Former Newcastle United midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is considering retiring from football after a recent hospitalisation.

The 29-year-old who made 12 appearances while on loan at Newcastle from Schalke 04 is considering hanging up his boots after it was reported last week that he'd been rushed to hospital.

Reports coming out today have confirmed that Bentaleb, who is more recognised for his time at Tottenham Hotspur, had in fact suffered a cardiac arrest.

It always baffles me when young fit people like Bentaleb can be hit with cardiac arrest when I, at 42 and in the worst shape of anyone I know, am still ticking. Barely, but still ticking.

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Things didn't work out for Bentaleb at Newcastle

Bentaleb came to Newcastle in January 2020 on loan from Schalke in a deal that contained an option to buy.

However, after 12 appearances, it became clear that the former Spurs man was not what Newcastle were looking for and the Algerian international returned to Germany before being sold to Angers and then Lille where he remains to this day.

Bentaleb had shown promise at Spurs so we can see why Newcastle thought he could replicate his form in a return to the Premier League but it wasn't meant to be.

We wish Nabil Bentaleb all the best and a quick recovery

At 29 and having to contemplate retirement must be a tough thing to take, especially when you see the likes of Christian Eriksen who literally died on the pitch while representing Denmark is back in the Premier League and going strong with Manchester United and still representing his country at major tournaments.

Hopefully, they'll be able ascertain whether or not his heart is strong enough to keep going and give him a chance to continue his career. It's never good to see a player having to call it a day early.

We wish Nabil Bentaleb a speedy and full recovery and hopefully a return to action in the future.