Garcia was walking near the halfway line when he suddenly collapsed face-down onto the pitch and medical staff from both teams raced onto the pitch to aid the stricken player.

Several of Garcia`s team-mates watched on in tears as the medical staff, using a defibrillator, managed to revive the 31-year-old midfielder before he was taken to Salamanca's University Hospital.

After initial examinations, where it was discovered he had suffered a heart attack, Garcia returned to the intensive care unit where a stent was put in and he will remain there for 24 hours.

A statement on the Salamanca website said Garcia "remains stable and recovering from cardiac arrest suffered in today`s game.

"If his progress continues being favourable, tomorrow he will leave intensive care and will be moved to the ward."

Today`s incident follows the tragic deaths of two Primera Division players, Sevilla`s Antonio Puerta and Espanyol`s Daniel Jarque, due to heart-related problems in recent years.

Jarque died at the age of 26 last August after his heart stopped following a training session in Coverciano, Italy where the Barcelona-based club were on a pre-season camp.

Two years prior to that the 22-year-old Puerta died after suffering multiple organ failure in hospital, three days after a cardiac arrest during a league match against Getafe.