Former World Cup winner Frank Mill, aged 66, has been brought back from the brink of death after experiencing a cardiac arrest while riding in a taxi.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund striker was a member of the West Germany squad that triumphed at Italia `90.
Mill had recently traveled to Italy to participate in the filming of a documentary focusing on the World Cup victory.
However, German media reported that he suffered a heart attack shortly after entering a cab at Milan`s Malpensa airport.
A helicopter was rapidly deployed to airlift him to the hospital for urgent medical intervention.
Reports indicate that the 66-year-old was clinically dead for a few minutes before doctors successfully managed to restart his heart.
Mill was subsequently placed in a medically induced coma for several days to allow his condition to stabilize.
Once his health permitted, medical professionals arranged for him to be flown back to his hometown of Essen in Germany to continue his recovery.
Mill`s family has chosen not to respond to inquiries from the media regarding the former footballer`s current health status.
Mill represented Germany 17 times at the senior level and also made 20 appearances for the country`s Olympic team.
He lifted the German FA Cup with Dortmund and played a role in their run to the 1993 UEFA Cup final.
He was still active, playing for Dortmund`s veterans team, as recently as last year.
West Germany coach Franz Beckenbauer included the 5ft 9in forward in his squad for Italia 90.
Despite his inclusion, Mill did not feature in any matches during the tournament, facing stiff competition from forwards like Jurgen Klinsmann, Rudi Voller, and Karlheinz Riedle, who later had a less successful spell at Liverpool.
Throughout his playing career, he also had spells at Rot-Weiss Essen and Borussia Mönchengladbach, concluding his career at Fortuna Dusseldorf.
