Abdelhak Nouri, the UEFA winner of the 2017 Eerste Divisie Player of the Year award, collapsed during a football match between Ajax and Werder Bremen.
In July 2017, at age 20, during a pre-season friendly match, Nouri collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrhythmia attack, which left him with severe and permanent brain damage and unable to continue as a footballer. The title Dutch Footballer of the Year (Dutch: Voetballer van het Jaar) has been awarded in the Netherlands since 1984. The award is determined by a poll of Dutch professional footballers playing in the First (Eredivisie) and Second (Eerste Divisie) leagues. His exploits throughout the season for Jong Ajax saw him being gifted the Player of the Season award for the 201617 season, as well as promotion to the first team for the 201718 season. UEFA Europa League: runner-up 201617 Eerste Divisie Player of the Season: 201617 
