Former Everton and Real Madrid footballer Royston Drenthe has been taken to hospital after having a stroke, according to a Dutch and Belgian football group.
FC De Rebellen, a group including 38-year-old Drenthe, wrote on Instagram that the winger had suffered a stroke on Friday.
“He is receiving good care and is in good hands,” the post said.
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The Reuters news agency has contacted his representatives with a request to comment.
“The team and everyone involved hope for a speedy recovery. Royston’s family asks for peace and privacy during this period so they can offer him the necessary support and space for his recovery,” the post added.
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The Dutch player made his breakthrough at Feyenoord, a first division club in the Netherlands.
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Drenthe, who retired in 2023, played for a number of English football clubs.
In 2011, he was loaned from Real Madrid to Everton, but dropped in 2012 for a “disciplinary matter”, the club said at the time.
He went on to play for both Reading and Sheffield Wednesday.
