Due to a hereditary heart issue, Brighton player Enock Mwepu is forced to retire from football.
The team said that if Mwepu, 24, kept playing competitive football, he would be at a “extremely high risk of having a potentially fatal cardiac event.”
On a trip to Mali with the Zambian national team, Mwepu had lately become unwell.
After landing in West Africa last month, he was unable to train and had to spend four days in the hospital.
In a statement on Twitter, Mwepu said he had “lived his dream by reaching the Premier League”, but that “some dreams come to an end”.
“It is with sadness that I announce the need to hang up my boots because of the medical advice I have received,” Mwepu said.
In July 2021, the versatile player signed a four-year deal with Brighton after playing for Red Bull Salzburg for an unknown fee.
In 27 games for the team, he scored three goals, and his last game was the 5-2 victory over Leicester City in September.