The surgeon who operated on David Ginola has said that the former France winger “almost died” after having a heart attack while playing football.

Professor Gilles Dreyfus told The Associated Press on Friday that Ginola was in good condition a day after undergoing a quadruple heart bypass operation and was expected to make a full recovery.

The 49-year-old was airlifted to the Monaco cardiothoracic center on Thursday after collapsing on the field in the Riviera town of Mandelieu. Dreyfus said he would remain in the hospital for about 10 days.

“He was incredibly lucky,” Dreyfus said. “He was fortunate to receive a heart massage immediately, and that was essential in preventing brain damage. Emergency services arrived on site eight minutes later. There is a set of factors that saved his life.”

Dreyfus said Ginola suffered the symptoms of a heart ventricular fibrillation and was diagnosed with “extremely severe lesions” when he arrived at the hospital. The surgery lasted five hours.

Dreyfus, who also performed surgery on French actor Gerard Depardieu earlier in his career, said Ginola has regained consciousness and does not need any medication. “He almost died but and will be able to lead a normal life,” he said.

Hello world, never slept better. I'm fine, just need to rest a bit. Thank you so much all of you for your magnificent support. — David Ginola (@teamginola) May 20, 2016

Footy match in the midday sun, not very clever. Now having some tests done. Whoever voted for a World Cup in Qatar in the summer? — David Ginola (@teamginola) May 19, 2016

Ginola, who was expected to work as a TV pundit during the European Championship next month before his heart attack, was in Mandelieu to play a golf tournament with other sports personalities. He was playing soccer when he was stricken.

Last year for former Newcastle player failed to secure the required support in a bid for the Fifa presidency.