Paulo Sérgio Oliveira da Silva (19 October 1974 – 27 October 2004), better known as Serginho, was a
Brazilian footballer who played as a
defender.
Career
Serginho started his career in the town of
Coronel Fabriciano,
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
state,
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. He played for
São Caetano as a
defender.
With São Caetano, Serginho won the 2nd division of
Campeonato Paulista
The Campeonato Paulista Série A1, commonly known as Campeonato Paulista, nicknamed Paulistão, is the top-flight professional state football league in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. Run by the São Paulo State Football Federation (FPF), ...
in 2000, and the first division in 2004, and was runner-up in two Campeonatos Brasileiros and one
Copa Libertadores
The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...
.
Death
On 27 October 2004, Serginho collapsed during a ''
Campeonato Brasileiro'' match between his team,
São Caetano, and
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
, after suffering a fatal
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...
around the 60th minute of play. After 15 minutes of
resuscitation
Resuscitation is the process of correcting physiological disorders (such as lack of breathing or heartbeat) in an Acute (medicine), acutely ill patient. It is an important part of intensive care medicine, anesthesiology, trauma surgery and emerg ...
, he was rushed to Sao Luis Hospital, in
Sao Paulo city. He was pronounced dead shortly after. A subsequent
autopsy
An autopsy (also referred to as post-mortem examination, obduction, necropsy, or autopsia cadaverum) is a surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse by dissection to determine the cause, mode, and manner of deat ...
revealed that Serginho's heart weighed approximately 600 grams—about twice the size of an average adult male heart, a condition known as
cardiomegaly
Cardiomegaly (sometimes megacardia or megalocardia) is a medical condition in which the heart becomes enlarged. It is more commonly referred to simply as "having an enlarged heart". It is usually the result of underlying conditions that make the h ...
.
Following an official investigation, São Caetano was found to have allowed Serginho to play despite prior knowledge of his heart condition, which had been identified during pre-season medical examinations. As a result, the club was penalized with a 24-point deduction. Despite this severe sanction, São Caetano managed to avoid relegation that season.
See also
*
Juan Izquierdo, who also died in the Morumbi
*
List of association footballers who died while playing
References
External links
*
Footballers from Vitória, Espírito Santo
Brazilian men's footballers
Association football players who died while playing
Associação Desportiva São Caetano players
São Paulo state football team players
Sport deaths in Brazil
1974 births
2004 deaths
Men's association football defenders
Filmed deaths in sports
People from Coronel Fabriciano
Footballers from Minas Gerais
20th-century Brazilian sportsmen
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