Gregory Mertens, belgium U21 player, dies after collapse during match

The 24-year-old Lokeren defender was treated on the pitch during the first half of Monday's reserve-team game with Genk but did not recover after time in hospital on a life-support machine.

A club statement said: "The medical staff have done everything to save Gregory, but they finally had to acknowledge their impotence.




"Gregory passed away at around 16:30."




The former Belgium Under-21 international's condition had worsened since he was taken to hospital in Genk, with doctors giving him little chance of survival.

On Thursday his family agreed his life support should be switched off.

Lokeren say that the exact nature of Mertens's heart condition has yet to be established.

But he passed all pre-season health tests required by Europe's football governing body Uefa, and was judged to be one of the fittest players at his club.

He joined Lokeren in January 2014 from Cercle Brugge and played 15 league games this season, as well as featuring against Hull City in the Europa League in August.

The club statement continued: "Gregory was only one and a half years at the club, but in that short time his quiet modesty made him an indispensable person.

"Now we will have to learn to live with the loss."

Former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba  , who survived after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing against Tottenham in 2012, said: "Horrible news that Gregory Mertens has passed away, only 24 years old. #RIP."

Belgium and Everton forward Romelu Lukaku  added: "Rest In Peace Gregory Mertens ... Gone too soon. Life is crazy sometimes man... One day you're here next day you're gone."

Lokeren's Pro League game with Westerlo will go ahead on Friday, with the club and fans preparing to pay their respects to the defender.

It is understood that the Belgium Football Federation plans to mark all matches on Friday with a minute's silence. 

Portaluppi Carolina new WAG for Neymar?

Neymar has a new girlfriend, a Brazilian model, daughter of a former football?

The media in Brazil coupled Neymar with a new girlfriend.

Barcelona star has stolen the heart of the Brazilian Portaluppi Carolina, 23-year-old, the daughter of former international Renato carioca "Gaucho" Portaluppi.

Neymar is the father of a boy, Davi Lucca, aged four years. The child's mother, has 21 years and is no more in relationship with Neymar.

Renato Gaúcho jogando na praia de Ipanema (Foto: Gil Rodrigues / Foto Rio News) Fonte: Globo.com Ego noticias

WAG Erika Choperena and Antoine Griezmann

Cele mai scumpe transferuri din Europa din aceasta vara?

Jucător  >>>>>De unde a plecat  >>>>>unde a ajuns Suma

Sterling >>>>>Liverpool >>>>>Manchester City 68 
Martinez >>>>> Porto  >>>>>Atletico Madrid 35 
Kongdobia >>>>> Monaco  >>>>>Inter 35 
Arda Turan >>>>> Atletico Madrid  >>>>>Barcelona 34 
Dyabala  >>>>> Palermo  >>>>>Juventus 32 
Danilo >>>>> Porto  >>>>> Real Madrid 31 
Negredo >>>>> Manchester City  >>>>>Valencia 30 
Bacca >>>>> Sevilla  >>>>>AC Milan 30 
Douglas Costa  >>>>>Şahtior  >>>>>Bayern Munchen 30  

Top WAGs of the Copa America 2015

Beautiful and supportive of their husbands/boyfriends, no international competition is complete without the WAGs, here are some of the best from this years Copa America...

WAG Carol Cabrino - Marquinhos

Carol Cabrino is a young Brazilian singer.

Just 19 years old, she met the Parisian defender through social media.

“We became friends and decided one day to meet in Brazil” she told Brazilian website UOL “And at first glance, it was love at first sight.”

Chiara Picone - Javier Pastore

Javier Pastore really hit the top corner with this WAG. The Argentine has been in a relationship with the beautiful Chiara Picone for nearly five years.

She is currently pregnant, and will give birth to the first child of the PSG man soon.

Vanessa Martins - Willian

Vanessa Martins, is a lawyer and the wife of the Chelsea and Brazil winger Willian.

The couple got married in 2011, four years after they had met.

The couple also gave birth to twins, Manuella and Valentina, born on February 9, 2012.

WAG Daniela Collet - Eduardo Vargas

Daniela Collet is the girlfriend of Eduardo Vargas, often called “Edu”. The Chilean striker spent last season with Queens Park Rangers, where he was on loan.

After a difficult season which ended in relegation, no doubt the presence of his beautiful companion will help him shine in the Copa America.

WAG Andreína Fiallo - Fredy Guarin

The beautiful Colombian is married to Inter Milan’s Fredy Guarin. The two reside in Italy where Guarin plays his football, and they have two children, Daniel Alejandro Guarin Fiallo (born May 2005) and Danna Fernanda Guarín Fiallo (born 18 February 2011).

WAG Karin Jiménez - Santiago Arías

Karin Jiménez is a Colombian model born in 1991, who is married to Colombian defender, Santiago Arías.

The couple reside in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, were Arias plays for PSV. The two married in 2013, both at the age of 21.

WAG Antonella Roccuzzo - Lionel Messi

Although they have known each other for many years, it was not until 2009 that the couple formalized their relationship, she gave birth to their son, Thiago, in 2012.

A former student in nutritional science, the Argentine is also a fashion model in her spare time.

A loyal supporter of her husband, we can regularly see her in the stands of the Nou Camp.

WAG Lorelei Taron - Radamel Falcao

The Best-Selling Sports Books

According to The New York Times, here are the best selling sports books:

Trying to decide what to read on the beach this holiday weekend? Here are the best-selling sports books in May 2015, according to the New York Times best-seller list.

1. THE BOYS IN THE BOAT by Daniel James Brown (Penguin). The University of Washington’s eight-oar crew and its quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

2. UNBROKEN by Laura Hillenbrand (Random House). An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II; now a movie.

3. MY FIGHT / YOUR FIGHT by Ronda Rousey with Maria Burns Ortiz (Regan Arts). An Olympic judo medalist and Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight champion and Hollywood celebrity tells her story.

4. H IS FOR HAWK by Helen Macdonald (Grove/Atlantic Inc.). A British woman who is also a lifelong falconer raises a fierce goshawk, rekindling the spirit of an Arthurian sport as she reflects and quotes from T. H. White’s book “The Goshawk.”

5. PEDRO by Pedro Martinez and Michael Silverman (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Memoir from an eight-time All-Star, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series champion pitcher.

6. THE JOURNEY HOME by Jorge Posada (Dey Street/HarperCollins). A former Yankees catcher tells his story, from the ball fields of Puerto Rico to behind home plate at Yankee Stadium.

7. THE A SWING by David Leadbetter with Ron Kaspriske (St. Martin’s). A golf instructor shares the evolution of his swing theories.

8. NATURAL BORN HEROES by Christopher McDougall (Knopf).Scrutinizing historical and contemporary figures, the author of “Born to Run” discusses what makes a hero and what fitness techniques we can learn from some of them.

9. TY COBB by Charles Leerhsen (Simon & Schuster). A biography that takes another look at a controversial outfielder who died in 1961.

10. EVERY DAY I FIGHT by Stuart Scott with Larry Platt (Blue Rider). A memoir by an ESPN anchor and commentator who died of cancer in January.

And One . . .

11. BIG DATA BASEBALL by Travis Sawchik (Flatiron). The end of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 20-year streak of losing seasons came in 2013 when the team adopted big-data strategies.

What is your opinion?