Former Real Madrid star Fernando Morientes reveals near-death experience due to blood clot

Former Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes shared a harrowing story in an interview with Spanish radio station Tiempo de Juego about how he nearly died from a blood clot.

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The Spaniard admitted that after one of his flights, he felt very unwell and even ended up in the hospital for five days. Morientes was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism—a serious condition where a blood clot blocks an artery in the lungs.

"I was feeling ill after so many trips. On one of them, my chest started to hurt, a stabbing pain below my sternum. I thought it was something stomach-related and didn't want to go to the hospital. But that night I felt something and immediately went to the doctor. They started looking at my heart and saw nothing until they found an effusion in the pleura. It was a pulmonary embolism," Fernando recounted.

Morientes explained that the clot formed in his knee due to excess air in the plane and car, and then in the open air, his blood began to thicken and traveled to his lungs.

It is noteworthy that the 49-year-old Morientes spent 8 years at Real Madrid, winning 3 Champions League titles and 2 Spanish championships with the club.