CD Tenerife forward Jesus de Miguel has died at the age of 30, one day after going into cardiac arrest following a collision with a goalkeeper during a match, according to Sky Sports. The Spanish second-tier club announced his death on Tuesday, November 3.
The incident occurred in Tenerife's game against FC Andorra. De Miguel went down after colliding with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono, who had come off his line to clear a long ball and met the striker in the process. Sky Sports reports that Owono was sent off immediately.
The match was abandoned seven minutes into stoppage time. Medical staff attended to De Miguel on the pitch for more than five minutes before an ambulance took him to hospital.
Why it matters
De Miguel's death is a rare and public tragedy in professional football, a sport in which serious cardiac events during matches have prompted repeated reviews of medical protocols and emergency planning at grounds. The collision itself was an ordinary passage of play — a goalkeeper racing out to deal with a long ball — which makes the outcome harder to absorb for those who watched it unfold.
The case also drew attention to how quickly a player's condition can change. Within hours, the club's public updates moved from a guarded but relatively reassuring message to one reporting a neurological decline.
Club statements traced the decline
Late on Monday night, Tenerife confirmed that De Miguel had been taken to hospital and described him as "stable despite the severity of his condition." In the early hours of Tuesday, the club issued a further update saying his condition had worsened neurologically. His death was announced later that morning.
In its announcement, Tenerife said the club was communicating the news "racked with pain" and unable to accept what had happened, adding that no words could ease a grief it described as overwhelming. Sky Sports reported the club's remarks.
The club also issued a message on behalf of the player's family, who thanked people for the support they had received and asked for their privacy to be respected during what the statement called a terrible time.
A career cut short in Spain's second tier
De Miguel, whose full name is Jesus de Miguel Alameda, was 30 and played as a striker for Tenerife in the Segunda Division, the level below La Liga. The club did not give further details about the collision or his medical care beyond the timeline it had already made public.
The abandonment of the fixture leaves the match against Andorra without a result. Spanish football authorities have not indicated publicly how they will handle the unfinished game, and no date has been set for any resumption or replay.
Tenerife's supporters and the wider Spanish football community have begun paying tribute, though the club has not announced any formal plans for a memorial. The family's request for privacy remains in place.
What happens next will likely centre on the club's arrangements for a tribute and on any review of the circumstances surrounding the match. Tenerife has not said when it will return to competitive play.
