Former Tottenham star Lucas Moura was rushed to hospital after suffering a horror injury which left him struggling to breathe. Moura, 33, took blows to the face and ribs during Sao Paulo's 1-0 defeat away to Atletico Mineiro on Wednesday.

The Brazilian started on the bench but came on as a substitute in the 60th minute. Moura was back off 12 minutes later when Mineiro midfielder Tomas Cuello thundered into the back of him.

As well as being hit in the face by Cuello's knee, the ex-Spurs forward suffered two fractured ribs, Sao Paulo have confirmed. Moura was having difficulty breathing and had to be stretchered off as he was replaced by Gonzalo Tapia.

Sao Paulo say that 33-year-old is undergoing tests at a hospital in Belo Horizonte. A statement from the club read: "After suffering a trauma during the match this Wednesday against Atletico Mineiro, the attacking midfielder Lucas underwent imaging exams at Hospital Mater Dei in Belo Horizonte and was diagnosed with fractures in two ribs.

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"The athlete is under evaluation at the hospital, awaiting clearance to return to the capital of Sao Paulo and continue treatment at Sao Paulo."

Moura has helped Sao Paulo enjoy a good start to the season, with Roger Machado's side having gone into Wednesday's clash unbeaten after six games. But they missed the chance to go top of the league table above Palmeiras, who they now have an identical record to.

Moura joined Sao Paulo when he left Tottenham in the summer of 2023 upon the expiry of his contract. The ex-Paris Saint-Germain star spent five years in North London and gave himself cult hero status with his iconic hat-trick against Ajax in the 2019 Champions League semi-finals.

Moura scored a dramatic 96th-minute winner in Amsterdam to win the tie on away goals after Spurs suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg. They faced Liverpool in that year's final, losing 2-0.

Ahead of leaving Tottenham, Moura said: "I don't want to think about my last day here, but the feeling is that I gave everything. I have just one word to talk about it, it's 'special'.

"Five years with you, I don't have words to thank you for the support, for the affection… I just need to say thank you. I will keep you in my heart forever. I love Spurs, it was a great adventure to play for you and you can be sure that every time that I was on the pitch I tried to make you happy.

"I tried my best, I gave 100 per cent every time to show to you my passion, how I love Spurs, how I love to play football and it was amazing to play for you. Thank you. I will keep supporting you. I will be Spurs forever..."

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