Jesus de Miguel, Tenerife striker, dies aged 30 after on-pitch collision
The forward collapsed in stoppage time after a clash with the Andorra goalkeeper and died in hospital the next day. Spain’s football federation postponed all of Tuesday’s matches.
MADRID, Nov 3 – Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel died on Tuesday at the age of 30, a day after he suffered a cardiac arrest following a collision during a match, the Spanish second-division club said.
The Segunda División match against Andorra on Monday was abandoned seven minutes into stoppage time after De Miguel collapsed on the pitch. Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono rushed out of his area to clear a long ball when he collided with the forward. De Miguel fell to the ground and remained motionless.
Accounts of the contact differ. Reuters and Al Jazeera reported that Owono’s knee struck De Miguel in the chest, while some Spanish media outlets said the impact was to the head.
Players from both teams immediately waved for medical assistance. Owono was shown a straight red card following the incident.
Medical staff treated De Miguel on the pitch for more than five minutes before he was taken by ambulance to the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, where he was admitted to intensive care.
Spanish media reported that De Miguel went into cardiac arrest during the journey to the hospital. Medics were reportedly able to restart his heart before he arrived.
His condition appeared to be stable on Monday evening. But on Tuesday morning, Tenerife said he had taken a turn for the worse. He died shortly afterward.
The club said it was in deep pain and could hardly believe the news.
“There are no words of comfort,” Tenerife said in a statement. The family has asked for privacy.
De Miguel had come on as a substitute in the 59th minute, with Tenerife leading 2-0. The game was level at 2-2, with both teams down to 10 men, when the collision happened.
Gerard Piqué, the former Barcelona and Spain defender who is now president of Andorra, said he was sorry with all his heart.
“Rest in peace, Jesus,” Piqué wrote on social media.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation postponed all matches set for Tuesday, including games in the Copa del Rey and the Copa de la Reina.
It also called off the official presentation for Spain’s under-21 match against Japan. The federation said the decision was a mark of respect and solidarity with De Miguel’s family, his teammates and Tenerife fans. The Union of European Football Associations said a period of silence would be held before all European matches this week. Three Spanish clubs, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Villarreal, play in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Aleksander Ceferin, president of the European football body, said everyone was heartbroken by the news.
“We have searched for words and found only silence,” Ceferin said.
Clubs across Spain paid tribute to the striker. Barcelona said its thoughts and support were with his family, friends and loved ones. Real Madrid sent its condolences to his family, teammates, club and everyone close to him.
Some Spanish media have raised the question of whether the collision could lead to a criminal investigation. No investigation has been confirmed, and no charges have been brought.
De Miguel was born in Madrid in 1996. He began his senior career with Leganes’s reserve team in 2015 and went on to play for several other Spanish clubs, most of them in the lower divisions.
He made his name at Castellon. He was the club’s top scorer with 16 goals when it won promotion to the second division in the 2023-24 season, and he made his professional debut with Castellon in August 2024, at the age of 27.
He joined Tenerife on a three-year contract ahead of the 2025-26 season and scored 11 goals in his first campaign with the club.
