Lars Dendoncker retires from international football due to heart condition

Ex-Brighton midfielder, Lars Dendoncker, the younger brother of Aston Villa’s Leander Dendoncker, has been compelled to retire from professional football due to a heart condition. The 25-year-old midfielder was part of Brighton until May of the previous year.

Lars Dendoncker took to social media to share the unfortunate news, stating, “As a child, I only had one dream – to become a professional football player. But my professional career and dream have come to a very early end due to my heart condition. I have decided to stop playing for the sake of my own health. This has been and will be the hardest decision in my life, but there is no going back, and I have to look to the future. It will take time to process.”

He continued, “I’ve learned a lot throughout the years and had to sacrifice a lot. So this really hurts. Eleven years at the Club Bruges academy, where I made many friends, two beautiful years with Brighton, and a loan move to St. Johnstone where I made my professional debut.”

Lars Dendoncker expressed gratitude to all the players and staff he worked with throughout his career. His retirement comes as another blow to Brighton, following Enock Mwepu’s forced retirement due to a heart condition in October of the previous year.