'My friend and brother' - Leicester City striker Patson Daka sends heartfelt message to Brighton star Enock Mwepu after shock retirement

The 24-year-old has been forced to end his football playing career following the diagnosis of a hereditary heart condition.

Mwepu fell ill in Mali during the September international break while on Zambia duty. He was hospitalised for four days before he returned to Sussex to undergo further medical tests.

Copper Bullets teammate Daka was also hospitalised while in Mali. The 23-year-old was put on treatment in a Bamako hospital after a Zambia training session.

In a statement released earlier this morning, Albion said Mwepu’s heart condition, which can worsen over time, would put the Zambian at an extremely high risk of suffering a potentially fatal cardiac event, if he were to continue playing competitive football.

The world of football came together to pay tribute to the midfielder following the news, but perhaps no message would mean more to Mwepu than the one issued by Daka.

The childhood friends have lined up alongside each other at three different teams. The duo began their respective careers at Zambian outfit Kafue Celtic in 2017, before moving to Austria.

Mwepu and Daka joined perennial Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg in June 2017, before enjoying brief spells on loan at feeder club FC Liefering.

The pair returned to Salzburg in 2018, and became mainstays at Die Roten Bullen. Mwepu and Daka won four consecutive Austrian Bundesliga titles, and three Austrian Cups in a row, before securing moves to England in 2021.

Mwepu and Daka have also both played for Zambia at under-17, under-20 and senior levels.

Posting on Twitter, Daka said: “My friend and brother, we started our football journey together and came to England together, it saddens me that we didn’t continue together…

“But our captain, as you said, health and family are more important than football. We plan and God plans, but God is the best of planners.

“I wish you all the best for the future and hope to see your continued involvement in Zambian football, in a different way.”