Former France international David Ginola is now recovering at home following a heart operation.
The 49-year-old underwent a quadruple heart bypass after it was revealed he had suffered from "complex coronary lesions" during an exhibition match nearly two weeks ago.
Ginola posted a message via his official Twitter account on Monday, which read: "Home at last! Thanks so much to all of you for your incredible messages of love and affection! They do help my recovery."
Gilles Dreyfus, the professor of cardiac surgery at the Monaco Heart Centre who operated on Ginola, said the former Paris Saint-Germain winger was "lucky to be alive" after emergency services had to use defibrillator equipment before he was rushed to hospital.
While he says his recovery has proceeded without complication so far, Dreyfuss has called for more people to receive first-aid training to help with similar instances in the future.
"He [Ginola] stayed the normal amount of time. He had nothing special, no complications," he said, as quoted by L'Equipe. "He's had all possible tests; he will now need to rest.
"I did nothing special, just my job," he added. "Although the medical chain worked wonderfully. We must congratulate the emergency services.
"We must educate people, teach them CPR and how to use a defibrillator."
