The world of sports was shocked and saddened over the weekend to learn that Modeste M'Bami, a well-known former soccer midfielder for Cameroon, Paris Saint-Germain, and several other clubs, died suddenly at the age of 40, as the Daily Mail reports.

According to the outlet, M'Bami's cause of death was reported to be a heart attack, and his passing was confirmed by agent Franck Belhassen.

Noteworthy career

The footballer notched several impressive achievements over the course of his career, going back to his membership on the Cameroon national squad that took the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

M'Bami appeared in 38 games for the Cameroonian side, including the 2003 Confederations Cup final and the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations Final.

Continuing to build his career in France, the midfield standout wore the colors of a series of clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Olympique de Marseille.

During his time with PSG, M'Bami was a member of teams that took the Coupe de France twice, once in 2004 and again in 2006.

Though the soccer notable began the process of seeking spots on several Premiere League teams back in 2009, in the end, he decided to take his talents to Spain's Almeria instead and also spent time playing in China, Saudi Arabia, and Columbia.

Reactions pour in

As news broke of M'Bami's unexpected death, the PSG organization issued a statement via Twitter that included a photo of its former player in action.

“PSG learned with deep sadness of the death today of our former player Modeste M'Bami. The club offers its sincere condolences to his family and loved ones,” the team said.

Statements issued from Marseille expressed regret at M'Bami's “sudden death,” and another of his former clubs, Le Havre AC, declared its “tremendous sadness” at the loss.

Spate of deaths brings questions

M'Bami's death at the young age of 40 is just the latest in a string of similar incidents in recent years, a phenomenon that has caught the attention of many, including English soccer legend Matt Le Tissier, as Dr. Justus Hope, M.D. wrote last year in the Desert Review.

Le Tissier, who gained fame during a 17-year career as a midfielder with the Southampton Football Club, was the first at his position to score 100 goals in the famed Premier League, but now his attention has turned to what he feels is the alarming trend of sudden and unexplained cardiac deaths among players.

“It's not rare, let me tell you...I've never seen anything like it,” said Le Tissier, adding, “I've played for 17 years. I never saw one person in 17 years have to come off the football pitch with breathing difficulties, clutching their heart, heart problems,” but in the last two years, he feels, something has changed, with the number of such events increasing exponentially.

Despite drawing the ire of journalists he says are turning a blind eye to the problem, Le Tissier declared, “It might be that the [COVID-19] vaccines are causing these problems. But we need to find out why, one way or the other,” and while there is no indication as of yet whether the jab may have played a role in M'Bami's death, it seems, at the very least, a question worth asking.