Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny feared he was "going to die" while playing for the Italian club last season.
Two months ago, during a Europa League quarter-final between Juventus and Sporting CP, the 33-year-old could be seen clutching his chest before falling to the ground.
Szczesny, who signalled towards the club bench for medical attention, would leave the Allianz Stadium pitch in tears as manager Massimiliano Allegri brought him off for Mattia Perin.
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After a truly terrifying experience the goalkeeper underwent treatment via an electrocardiogram, and no irregularity was found. Szczesny later told reporters that he was “worried" over the chest pains.
"I'm fine, a little anxious but I just checked and everything is fine," he added. "What happened? Fear, something that had never happened to me, I was struggling even to breathe, a little anxiety and fear, but now I'm much better."
Now, the former Arsenal shot-stopper has shared further details of the incident during a recent interview
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Speaking to Canal Plus Polonia, he said: “It was scary, I really thought I was going to die. After passing a ball to the defender I felt like my heart was about to explode.
"During a corner kick I told Milik I was hurt but the Sporting players were already taking a corner kick. The chest pain was horrible, to this day we don’t know the reason, probably back or spine problems.”
Szczesny returned to training soon after the health scare. In fact, he sat on the bench for their Serie A clash against Sassuolo three days later.
The Poland international would start for Juve in the second leg of their Europa League clash against Sporting CP, where the Old Lady would secure a place in the semi-final with a 2-1 aggregate win.
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But the Serie A club would suffer a 3-2 aggregate defeat to eventual winners Sevilla.
Topics: Juventus, Arsenal, Europa League