Jesús de Miguel, a striker for CD Tenerife, died on Tuesday 3 November, at the age of 30 after a serious impact during a Spanish second-division football match. The player had been hospitalised since Monday after colliding with Jesús Owono, FC Andorra’s goalkeeper, and suffering a cardiac arrest.
CD Tenerife confirmed the player’s death in an official statement, specifying that he had passed away at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3. The club also extended its condolences to his family and requested that their privacy be respected.
The incident occurred on Monday, November 2, during the match between CD Tenerife and FC Andorra, part of matchday 12 of LaLiga Hypermotion, the commercial name of Spain’s second-tier football league. The match was being played at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium on the island of Tenerife, in Spain’s Canary Islands.
In the closing minutes of the match, De Miguel was involved in an attacking move as he attempted to reach a loose ball. During the play, the striker was struck heavily in the chest and abdomen by the knee of Jesús Owono, FC Andorra’s goalkeeper. Owono was sent off following the incident.
After the collision, De Miguel fell to the pitch and initially showed signs of pain before losing consciousness shortly afterwards. Medical personnel immediately rushed to treat the player as footballers from both teams watched with concern.
According to several Spanish media outlets, the striker remained in cardiac arrest for approximately 20 minutes before medical teams managed to resuscitate him. He was subsequently taken by ambulance to Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital in Tenerife.
Given the seriousness of the situation, referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández decided to abandon the match in the 108th minute, with the score level at 2-2.
Several hours later, CD Tenerife announced that the player had been admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). According to the club’s first medical update, his was in a serious but stable condition.
However, De Miguel’s health deteriorated overnight from Monday to Tuesday. Tenerife reported that the player had experienced neurological deterioration and announced that further updates on his condition would follow.
The club eventually confirmed his death on Tuesday morning, less than 24 hours after the incident during the match.
FC Andorra, the club of the goalkeeper involved in the collision, also issued a statement expressing its condolences. The club offered its sympathies to the player’s family, teammates and friends, as well as to CD Tenerife, and expressed its sorrow over the incident.
