Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma was widely praised after his quick thinking helped medical staff resuscitate a fan who suffered a cardiac arrest during Saturday's La Liga game against Barcelona.

The match was suspended in the 81st minute when a man in the end behind the goal collapsed. But the Argentinian sprang into action, going to the dugout to retrieve a medical kit with a defibrillator.

He sprinted back to the section where the fan collapsed and threw the kit to medical staff, earning plaudits on social media after a video of the incident went viral.

"One of the medical teams went to the stands with a defibrillator and a monitor, starting the resuscitation tasks," Cadiz said in a statement.

"At the same time, FC Barcelona offered a second defibrillator in case its use was necessary, and it was brought to the area by the players themselves.

"The resuscitation was positive after a few minutes, and the fan was transferred to the intensive care unit of the Hospital Puerta del Mar, where he remains hospitalised."

Barcelona won the game 4-0 after the match restarted and coach Xavi Hernandez said completing the game hinged on the fan's condition.

"We all got together - referees, Cadiz, Barca - and we decided to continue, we're glad we didn't have a tragedy," he told reporters.

"We're talking about a human life and any human life is above a soccer game. So it depended on him recovering, whether we would continue the game, which is what happened." REUTERS