Former Bundesliga Striker Bas Dost Retires Following Life-Threatening Cardiac Event
Dutch forward Bas Dost, a veteran of the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 35, following a near-fatal cardiac arrhythmia suffered during a match in December 2023. The incident, which occurred while playing for FC Utrecht at the AFAS stadium, required intervention with a defibrillator and a subsequent two-week hospital stay.
Dost’s decision comes after a challenging recovery process and further cardiac concerns discovered during training in June. “Until I received a call from the cardiologist in June,” Dost stated, “Something ‘was found during a training session. This moment changed everything. I thought: ‘I don’t want that.’ You don’t want to play with yoru life.” the enforced pause and subsequent medical findings ultimately led to the difficult conclusion to end his 15-year professional career.
The powerfully built striker began his journey at SC Heerenveen, becoming the Eredivisie’s top scorer in 2012 before joining VfL Wolfsburg. He enjoyed a successful spell in Germany, winning the DFB-Pokal in 2015 and scoring 48 goals in 117 appearances for the Wolves. Dost then excelled at Sporting Lisbon from 2016 to 2019, netting an remarkable 93 goals in 127 games and claiming another league cup title in 2019. His peak market value reached €22 million during his time in Portugal.
A return to the bundesliga followed with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2019, where he scored 15 goals in 43 games. Dost later added two Belgian championships to his resume with Club Brügge (2021) before returning to the Eredivisie with FC Utrecht in 2022. Across 555 professional matches, Dost amassed 270 goals and 62 assists.
Dost expressed profound gratitude to the first responders at the AFAS Stadium, stating, “Without you, I wouldn’t be there anymore. Thank you for saving my life.” His retirement marks the end of a prolific career defined by powerful finishing and consistent goal-scoring across multiple top European leagues.
