Aston Villa fan who 'died for five minutes' at match and hero who saved him invited to 'biggest game'

Josh Moseley, from Bloxwich, will attend Saturday’s showpiece event at Wembley with Heidi Elliott, the fellow fan who saved his life.

The pair will be guests of Uefa, with their story set to be part of the Get Trained, Save Lives campaign organised by European football’s governing body to highlight the importance of learning CPR.

Josh, a season ticket holder at Villa, recently explained to the Express & Star how he “basically died for five minutes” after suffering a cardiac arrest at Villa Park when attending a Europa Conference League tie with Olympiacos on May 2.

His life was saved by Heidi, an ambulance technician from Leicestershire, who clambered over seats in the Holte End to reach him and administered CPR before medical staff arrived. Josh, a father-of-two, later had a mini-defibrillator fitted in hospital and has spent the past few weeks at home recovering.

The 24-year-old engineer explained how his dad Jason, a retired police officer from Tipton, had been sat at home when he received a call from Uefa’s chief medical officer Zoran Bahtijarevic.

He said: “My dad was having a cup of coffee and got a phone call from Switzerland, asking if we would be able to attend the Champions League final and help with their CPR campaign.

“It is crazy. Everything which has happened to me over the past few weeks has been surreal.

“To now be going to the Champions League final is crazy. It will be a great experience. I love Wembley. I actually met my partner there when Villa played in the 2019 play-off final.”

The biggest game in club football, this year’s Champions League final has major West Midlands interest with Stourbridge-born Jude Bellingham part of the Real Madrid team taking on Borussia Dortmund.

“I’ll definitely be supporting Madrid, I’ve always loved them since I was a little kid,” continued Josh. “I can’t say I was much of a Jude Bellingham fan when he was starting his career out at Birmingham City!

“But he is a fantastic player. My other half is dying for me to get a photo with him if I can!”

While obviously excited by the football, Josh’s main focus is on playing his part in the Get Trained, Save Lives campaign.

Launched in 2022, it has been supported by legends of the game including Erling Haaland, Ruud Gullit and Gareth Bale. Josh and Heidi will be interviewed by Uefa staff, with their story then used to help spread awareness.

So far, Uefa has provided hands-on training to more than 3,500 players, coaches, referees, officials and staff at finals and tournaments, while the campaign will receive more attention during the forthcoming European Championships in Germany, with Uefa due to launch a TV commercial.

The campaign’s message will also be shown on screens inside stadiums while CPR booths, where visitors can get trained and practice CPR, will be installed in fan zones throughout the tournament.

“Without CPR I would not be here, so I am really eager for as many people to know my story and understand how important it is to learn,” said Josh. “I am more than happy to help Uefa out as much as I can with their campaign. It can be the difference between life and death.”