Barcelona  - The newly minted 26-year-old captain of Spain's Espanyol Barcelona, Dani Jarque, died Saturday of a heart attack, delivering a heavy shock to the team.

The club said he took ill after a team training session in Italy. The defence master was missed by his co-players at their common evening meal.

After he was found unconscious in his room he was transported to hospital, where doctors could only confirm his death.

Jarque had just taken over the job of team captain from stormer Raul Tamudo a few weeks ago. On Sunday, the team moved into its handsome new stadium that brought it out of the shadow of its illustrious neighbour, European champions Barcelona.

It was not clear what caused the heart attack. (dpa)