19-year-old Luca Manolache was a professional football player for Metaloglobus București until August 2024, when health issues forced him to pause his career. He had been suffering from “prolonged dizziness, bloody stools, and chills,” according to the *Daily Mail*. His energy dropped so much that he struggled to finish the first half of matches. During one game, his symptoms were so severe an ambulance was called.
On February 28, while out with family, Luca’s condition worsened. An ambulance was called again. While waiting, he phoned his mother, saying, “Mum, Mum, I can’t do it anymore.” His mother later said he asked a nurse if he was going to die. Inside the ambulance, Luca again complained his “vision was black,” *The Sun* reported.
He passed away before his mother reached the County Hospital in Târgoviște. His sister made the heartbreaking call to inform her.
Doctors tried to save him, but his body reacted severely. “His stomach acid led to drowning,” they said.
His club expressed deep sorrow: “We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss. Rest in peace, dear ‘Mano.’” His last match was in August 2024, where he played 10 minutes as a reserve.
