Former Bundesliga professional Torsten Kracht survived a heart attack just over a week ago and had to undergo surgery. "It was an operation lasting just under an hour and afterwards you get better relatively quickly. I was lucky that everyone was there quickly, that it didn't take so long and not so much heart tissue died and I didn't have a lack of oxygen in my brain," the 56-year-old told Bild.
The president of regional soccer club Lok Leipzig had complained of chest pains and called the emergency doctor himself. "I was asked how I felt on a scale of 1 to 10. I said six to seven. That was the last thing I could remember. Suddenly there was a loud beep and I was gone," said Kracht. According to the report, Kracht had to be resuscitated.
The building contractor now has to take tablets and wants to resume regular exercise. He wants to remain president of the Leipzig fourth-division club. "Nobody has to worry about that. Everything is fine so far," said Kracht. He "took a quick look at the other side" and "for my wife in particular, those were images she can't get out of her head. I didn't see the famous bright light myself. I was just a bit cold when I woke up again."
Kracht has been president of Lok Leipzig since May. He was previously the club's sports director and vice-president, for whom he played 283 competitive matches. In 1987, he was in the squad for the European Cup final against Ajax Amsterdam and played two international matches for the GDR.
In 1993, he was promoted to the Bundesliga with the club, which was renamed VfB Leipzig, but was immediately relegated again. The defender also played for Bochum, Frankfurt and Stuttgart in the Bundesliga before ending his active career at the beginning of 2004.
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