https://p.dw.com/p/5OzsEPrefer DW on Google
“Heartbroken with pain, with a lump in our throat and unable to believe this is real.” Those were the words with which Spanish second division football club Tenerife confirmed the death of their 30-year-old player, Jesus de Miguel, on Tuesday.
De Miguel was involved in a clash in the middle of the pitch with FC Andorra’s Equatorial Guinea international goalkeeper Jesus Owono, who had raced out of his goal to try and clear the ball with the score 2-2 late in the game. Owono was sent off and the match was abandoned.
Spanish media said that De Miguel suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated. The player was taken to hospital and placed in intensive care, with Tenerife later saying that De Miguel’s condition had “worsened neurologically” before his death.
After confirming the death on Tuesday morning, the club posted that: “No words can ease the pain, nothing can lessen this great feeling of sadness. Our thoughts are with the family, his close friends and Tenerife fans, who today are grieving over this terrible news.”
Andorra also sent their “most sincere condolences” as messages of support began to flood in on Tuesday.
“I am so deeply sorry. Rest in peace, Jesus,” former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique, Andorra’s majority shareholder, wrote on social media.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and other clubs in Spain also sent messages of condolence, as well as the Spanish FA (RFEF).
“Shattered by this sad news, the Royal Spanish Football Federation wishes to express our deepest sorrow at his passing today,” wrote the federation in a statement.
The RFEF postponed Tuesday’s matches in the Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina, “as a gesture of respect and solidarity.”
De Miguel had been with Tenerife since joining from from Castellon in 2025. He began his career with Leganes at youth level in the Madrid suburbs, playing for a string of teams, including Unionistas de Salamanca, before signing for Castellon in 2023.
