FORMER Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has been forced to temporarily stop playing football due to a heart problem.
The Brazilian, 35, spent 15 years in Europe before returning to boyhood club Gremio this year.
Lucas has missed Gremio's pre-season after a heart problem was detected in routine screening.
And he has been forced to quit football indefinitely until tests are fully completed.
He tweeted an official statement on Tuesday which read: "The Medical Department of Gremio reports that the athlete Lucas Leiva presented, in the routine examinations of the pre-season, a picture of change in heart rhythm being, consequently, removed from physical activities until the completion of complementary tests and treatment of the condition."
The much-loved midfielder has been wished well by Liverpool and Lazio fans.
Lucas, capped 24 times for Brazil, played 346 times for the Reds across his decade on Merseyside, winning the League Cup in 2012.
He also played at centre-back for the Reds and at times captained the team under Jurgen Klopp.
German Klopp went as far as to describe Lucas as "a friend".
He said in tribute to the departing midfielder: "Things change but Lucas is a special case.
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