Former France winger David Ginola is recovering in hospital after undergoing a quadruple heart bypass surgery, French and British media reported.

Ginola collapsed during a celebrity golf day on the French Riviera yesterday and was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Monaco.

"Hello world, never slept better. I'm fine, just need to rest a bit. Thank you so much all of you for your magnificent support," Ginola tweeted after the operation.

The 49-year-old fell to the ground at the home of the tournament organiser in Mandelieu and was "unconscious but stable" when he was air-lifted to a cardiothoracic unit in the nearby principality, Nice-Matin newspaper reported.

"The operation was a success and he is now awake, talking and has been seen by his family. No brain damage, should make a full recovery," Professor Gilles Dreyfus, the surgeon who performed the operation, told Sky Sports.

A cult figure at English clubs Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur because of his flamboyant skill, Ginola also played for Paris St-Germain, Aston Villa and Everton before retiring in 2002. He won 17 caps for France.

Ginola announced he would run for the FIFA presidency last year before withdrawing his candidacy two weeks later after failing to secure the backing of enough football associations.