Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has come out of intensive care yesterday nearly three weeks after he collapsed during a pre-season friendly, leaving him with "serious and permanent brain damage".

It's a crying shame that Nouri's bright football career is already all but over as the 20-year-old was considered one of the brightest prospects out of Ajax's fabled academy in recent years.

The football world has collectively got behind the young Dutchman and the Amsterdam-born star has received plenty of support in a variety of ways.

A square in Amsterdam has been renamed after Nouri in tribute to the midfielder and Kevin Prince-Boateng has pledged to wear a shirt honouring him for the entire season.

Nice played Ajax tonight in a Champions League qualifying fixture that is a big deal to both clubs looking to take their place in the most lucrative competition in the world.

However, the enigmatic Mario Balotelli, alongside his Nice teammates, showed the world that Nouri's health and way of life is more important than anything.

Balotelli donned a shirt that said "stay strong Appie" in support of the fallen Ajax man and social media was quick to laud the normally controversial star for his gesture. He would also go on to score in the fixture.

Nouri had "cardiac arrhythmias" during a friendly game with Werder Bremen on 8 July. Although he is no longer in an induced coma and is breathing unaided, Ajax have said his situation is stable, but with severe and lasting brain damage.

An earlier club statement said there was no prospect of Nouri recovering from the brain damage and his career was over. The incident "probably" occurred because of a lack of oxygen supply to his brain.

Nouri made 15 appearances for the Dutch giants last season and it's such a shame for this to happen to any player, let a lone a young, rising star like him.

Despite the fact that a Champions League qualifier has such importance for any club, it's nice to see Nouri's health superseded it.