CD Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel died Tuesday, a day after colliding with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a second-division match at Tenerife’s Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López. He was 30. Spain’s National Police have opened an investigation into the death; no one has been charged, according to the report.
The incident happened deep into second-half stoppage time, with the match tied 2-2. De Miguel was pursuing a long ball when Owono ran out from goal and collided with him. De Miguel fell to the ground and appeared motionless. Owono was sent off, then returned to join players from both teams as they gathered around the injured striker.
The match was abandoned after players said they were unable to continue. De Miguel was taken to a local hospital’s intensive care unit. Tenerife initially described his condition as serious but stable, before reporting early Tuesday that it had worsened. The club said he died at 8 a.m. local time after suffering cardiac arrest.
The High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands said deaths without a clear natural cause must be investigated to establish what happened. The investigation may therefore be procedural, the report said.
De Miguel’s family thanked supporters and asked for privacy. FC Andorra and several clubs, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United and Liverpool, paid tribute. UEFA is holding a moment of silence at its matches this week, while Spain’s football federation postponed Tuesday’s cup games.
De Miguel was from Madrid and came through Leganés’ youth system. He spent more than a decade playing in Spain’s lower divisions, with his goals helping Castellón and later Tenerife reach the second tier. Separately, a sixth-tier player named Michael Owono said he had received death threats after being mistaken online for goalkeeper Jesús Owono.
Sources: TMZ.