Sports
12:24, 19-Aug-2018
World Cup finalist Ivan Strinic takes break from football after heart problem
Updated
12:12, 22-Aug-2018
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AC Milan and Croatia defender Ivan Strinic will be forced to take an unspecified break from football after he was diagnosed with a heart condition.
Strinic was part of the Croatia team that reached the World Cup final in Russia last month. The 31-year-old played all but the final nine minutes of that 4-2 defeat to France.
A statement released by the club read: "AC Milan announces that during the six-monthly routine checks, scheduled in Italy for professional athletes, it was found that Ivan Strinic suffers from an initial hypertrophy of the heart muscle deserving further investigation to be performed after a period of rest."
"For this reason the player will have to temporarily suspend the competitive sport activity until the exams are completed," it concluded.
Strinic (R) started six of Croatia's matches at the World Cup, including all of the knockout rounds. /VCG Photo
Strinic (R) started six of Croatia's matches at the World Cup, including all of the knockout rounds. /VCG Photo
Strinic moved to Serie A in 2015, spending two seasons with Napoli before a switch to Sampdoria in the summer of 2017.
He only signed for Milan last month and had not yet made an appearance for the Italian giants.