Spanish football was in shock on Saturday night following the death of Espanyol football club captain Daniel Jarque from a suspected heart attack.

Jaque, who was just 26 years old, apparently passed out while he was speaking on the phone to his family from the hotel where he and his teammates were staying just outside of Florence in Italy.

Despite all the efforts of the club doctor, ambulance workers and doctors to revive him, Jarque never recovered consciousness and was pronounced dead an hour later.

It is a terrible loss of a player, who had spent all his career with the Barcelona based club after joining them as a 12-year-old.

He had only recently been named the new club captain this summer after veteran striker Raul Tamudo renounced the captain's armband.

A powerful and talented central defender, Jaque had been linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur last summer and was tipped to be given a chance with the Spanish national team before the World Cupfinals next summer.

He had previously won the European Under-19 Championships with Spain and had played for the Under-21 side.

Condolences have come in from all of the Primera Liga clubs in Spain, while Espanyol has decided to cut short its pre-season training in Italy and will return to Barcelona on Sunday morning.

(Xinhua News Agency August 10, 2009)