'Like losing your first love': Former Singapore footballer Adam Swandi on being forced to retire at 28

SINGAPORE: When the news was first broken to him that he could never play football professionally again, Adam Swandi sat stunned and in a blur.

The 28-year-old midfielder refused to believe his cardiologist and clung to the hope that there was some way for him to overcome his health issues.

"At that moment, definitely in my mind, there was surely a way out of this.

"I think any player in that situation would think that way as well, because we're so used to injuries and whatnot, and those are only just setbacks where you can actually come back from it to play,” he told CNA in an exclusive interview at the Lion City Sailors training centre on Thursday (Dec 26).

The club announced his retirement on Tuesday, bringing an end to a career which saw him lead Singapore Under-15s to victories over Newcastle and Juventus in the 2011 Lion City Cup, and a two-year stint with French Ligue 2 side FC Metz.

He was also called up to the national squad for the first time in 2013 and was the youngest player in the team for friendly matches against Myanmar and Laos.

Adam was substituted at half-time during a Singapore Premier League match against Tanjong Pagar United in September after feeling unwell.

Subsequent tests found that he had cardiomyopathy, a heart muscle disease that makes it more difficult for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body.

He was accompanied by a trainer from the Lion City Sailors Football Club when he received the news in late October.

“I think both of us were caught off guard. I guess we didn't expect that to be the final say from the cardiologist,” he recalled.

"I asked the cardiologist a number of times during that session, 'Can I get back to football again?'

"And I think the answer I got was pretty conclusive, that