Seville Star Says Phil O'Donnell Will Never Be Forgotten

Jan 6 2008 By Gavin Berry

Exclusive Says Seville Star Ivica Dragutinovic

SEVILLE stopper Ivica Dragutinovic has told mourning Motherwell players they will forever feel Phil O'Donnell's presence on the pitch with them.

The Serbian star suffered a similar tragedy this season when team-mate Antonio Puerta died as a result of heart problems just a month short of his 23rd birthday.

Dragutinovic was the first person to rush to Puerta's aid when he collapsed during the opening game of the La Liga campaign at home to Getafe on August 25.

Puerta - whose girlfriend was expecting their first child - fell to the ground 10 minutes before half-time.

After recovering and being substituted he again collapsed in the changing-room before being resuscitated by medical staff.

The full-back was rushed by ambulance to the intensive care unit of Seville's Virgen del Rocio hospital but died three days later.

The tragedy shocked Spanish and world football in the same way O'Donnell's has.

Our game remains in mourning following the Fir Park skipper's collapse and death during last week's game against Dundee United.

And the news has brought the haunting memory of Puerta's loss back to Dragutinovic and the Seville squad.

Ivica knows the torment Well players are suffering and tried to offer words of comfort to the team-mates O'Donnell left behind who are still distraught at the devastating events.

He told MailSport: "I have only seen the details of Phil's death in the press but it's similar to our case.

"The only difference is that Phil's death was immediate while Antonio died days after his collapse.

"If there is one thing I could say to the Motherwell players it's that they will never forget their team-mate and mentally they will always believe he is present in the team.

"Not knowing the Motherwell squad personally it's hard for me to tell them exactly what to do.

"But I would say that at this time they need to unite to get the maximum success and dedicate it to O'Donnell.

"At Seville we have needed a lot of help to get over the tragedy of Puerta's death and some players had to get assistance from psychologists.

"But it's necessary to continue with your work and all our success is now dedicated to Antonio because he will always be with us.

"The worst time is in the early days because it's still so fresh in your memory."

Like O'Donnell, Spanish internationalist Puerta was a much-loved and popular figure at Seville. Dragutinovic admits he struggled to come to terms with the cruel circumstances that saw his team-mate's life cut shot and described the incident as the worst of his career.

He said: "It was a terrible moment, the worst in all my career because he had a girfriend who was due to give birth and he never got to see that moment. I wanted to avoid him swallowing his tongue and the moments before the club doctor arrived were so hard.

"It was a horrifying thing to happen for Antonio to die because he was a friend to everyone, part of the squad and always with a smile on his face.

"He spoke to everyone and was so popular.

"While we were always aware his situation was deteriorating we were still hoping for his recuperation. The squad received news of his death when we were in Athens preparing to play AEK in a Champions League qualifier but we flew back to Seville.

"It was the most sadness I've experienced in all my life and I remember the silence on the flight home.

"Everyone was crying but nobody spoke."

Motherwell's players will take to the field for the first time since O'Donnell's death on Saturday when they play Hearts at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup fourth round.

They will have had a fortnight's lay-off since the United game but Seville were in action just three days after Puerta passed away and two days after his funeral when they lost 3-1 to AC Milan in the European Super Cup.

The match they were due to play in Athens was rescheduled and took place six days after Puerta's death with the Spaniards winning 4-1. When Seville returned to play their first game in the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium there was a minute's silence and Puerta's name was chanted around the ground.

Other tributes included flowers being left at exit 16 at the stadium - Puerta's number in the squad was 16 - and in the 16th minute of matches the fans would sing his name and applaud in his memory.