Former Premier League star Cheikhou Kouyate reveals he played his entire career with a ‘secret’ heart problem as he announces his retirement aged 36: ‘I never even told my family’

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1d ago

By WILL GRIFFEE 18:09 07 Oct 2026, updated 18:10 07 Oct 2026

Ex-Crystal Palace and West Ham midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has revealed he played his entire career with a secret heart problem.

The 36-year-old lifted the lid on his medical issue after announcing his retirement from an impressive career in the English top flight and internationally with Senegal.

Kouyate confessed to having played for years with a health issue looming over him and even hid the diagnosis from the national team and his own family.

He says he signed insurance forms at various clubs so they would not be responsible if anything serious happened to him on the pitch.

Kouyate told Senegalese channel Walf TV: ‘I suffered from this heart problem since birth. I played with it.

‘In England, it was monitored every six months. I had medical check-ups at West Ham, Crystal Palace, and Nottingham Forest. Every time I had the tests, the problem reappeared.

‘The doctors always pointed out the problem to me, but I took responsibility myself. I signed the insurance papers stating that anything that might happen to me would be my responsibility.

‘Anderlecht called me [in the summer] to play there and also to start training as a coach. But after the medical examination, the doctor asked me to stop playing football.’

He went on: ‘The problem is at high altitude. If I play in the heat, it hurts terribly, during and after matches.

‘It feels like a side stitch, for about five minutes, and then it goes away. When it happens, after the match, I get painful cramps. After 24 hours, it stops.

‘I never said anything. I didn’t want to be forced to stop early. I never told my family, not even the national team doctors. They didn’t know about my problem.’

There have been numerous tragic, fatal cardiac arrests on the pitch down the years, including Marc-Vivien Foe, Antonio Puerta and former Newcastle midfielder Cheikh Tiote.

And Kouyate, who played almost 300 games in the Premier League as a defensive midfielder, will count himself extremely fortunate not to have suffered any serious medical issues relating to his condition.

Kouyate left Nottingham Forest for Amedspor in Turkey last year but only played eight games for the club before calling it a day.

Kouyate reveals he played entire career with ‘secret’ heart problemComments are subject to our House rules and TermsNewest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}

No one seems to have shared their thoughts on this topic yetLeave a comment so your voice will be heard first.

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{#replies.comments}}{{^isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{#isLast}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/isLast}}{{/replies.comments}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{^replies.totalCount}}{{initials}}{{userAlias}}, United Kingdom, {{formattedDateAndTime}}{{message}}

{{upVotes}}{{downVotes}}{{/replies.totalCount}}{{/isComment}}The opinions and views expressed in the comments section are solely those of the individual users and do not represent or reflect the opinions, views, or positions of MailOnline. MailOnline does not endorse, support, or verify the accuracy of any user-generated content.Terms|Privacy|FeedbackOldest{{#isModerationStatus}}{{moderationStatus}}