Real Madrid great Alfredo Di Stefano has been transferred to a hospital in Valencia for further tests after suffering a heart attack in the early hours of yesterday morning.
A health authority spokesman said the 79-year-old Argentine would undergo cardiac catheterism at the La Fe Hospital in Valencia.
"He will remain under observation in the intensive care unit and if everything goes well we will be able to take measures that will make him more comfortable," Valencia health authority spokesman Manuel Cervera told reporters.
Mr Cervera said Di Stefano's age and condition as a diabetic meant he would need to be under strict observation but he was optimistic about the former Real Madrid player's prospects of recovery.
"He is breathing normally and we believe that he will make favourable progress in the next few hours.
"He has been conscious at all times and when he has been able to he has spoken normally with his family and with the people from Real Madrid who have visited him."
Di Stefano, Real's honorary president and record goalscorer, led the Spanish club to five consecutive European Cup triumphs between 1956 and 1960 and eight Spanish league titles.
He won the European Footballer of the Year award in 1957 and 1959.