Spanish soccer player Jesús de Miguel dies after on-pitch collision
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — Soccer player Jesús de Miguel has died after an on-field collision during a Spanish second-division match on Monday, his club CD Tenerife has said.
The Spanish striker sustained injuries after colliding with Andorra’s goalkeeper Jesús Owono in the closing seconds of the Segunda División game. De Miguel had been chasing the ball near the halfway line before Owono – who had come a long way out of his goal – crashed into him at speed while trying to clear it.
Owono was instantly shown a red card and sent off for his role in the incident. The Andorra keeper had been walking off the pitch but ran back to his opponent after seeing the severity of the injury.
The match was abandoned in the closing minutes as de Miguel received medical support. He initially went down holding his chest following the collision before lying motionless on the pitch. Players from both sides looked devastated.
The 30-year-old was then taken straight to hospital and was said to be “stable despite the severity of his condition.”
Overnight, though, the club said he had declined “neurologically” and, on Tuesday morning, announced he had died.
“Racked with pain, with a lump in our throats and unable to believe that this is true,” the club said in a statement.
“There are no words of comfort; there is absolutely nothing that can alleviate this feeling overflowing with sadness. We stand alongside his devastated family, alongside his loved ones, alongside all of the tinerfeñismo that today weeps for this cruel outcome.”
Speaking on Tuesday, CD Tenerife president Felipe Miñambres said: “We are all going through very difficult moments now, of sadness and of not believing what happened.
“But we’ll go through the mourning all together, and we’ll be with all the people going through this feeling that should make us be more together.”
Andorra also published a statement on Tuesday paying tribute to De Miguel.
“Devastated and with broken hearts, we want to send our most sincere condolences to the family of Jesús de Miguel, to all his teammates, friends, and to CD Tenerife,” it said.
According to Spanish media, Spain’s National Police have opened an involuntary manslaughter investigation into de Miguel’s death. The High Court of Justice of the Canary Islands told El País that any death that is deemed non-natural requires an investigation.
CNN Sports has reached out to the Spanish National Police and the High Court of Justice for comment.
Owono deactivated his Instagram account as of Tuesday morning.
Tributes
De Miguel had signed for Tenerife in the summer of 2025 after spending much of his career in the lower leagues of Spanish soccer.
His former teammate at Unionistas de Salamanca CF, Fernando Román, took to X to post a series of photos and a message to his friend: “You were more than a friend… I will never forget you…Rest in Peace”
Meanwhile, teams from across the country and the world have also paid tribute to de Miguel.
Real Madrid plans to hold a minute of silence ahead of its training session today and said it wanted to “express its condolences and care” to de Miguel’s family and friends, while Barcelona said “we deeply regret the tragic news.”
Spain’s soccer federation also announced all Copa del Rey games due to be played on Tuesday had been suspended out of respect.
European soccer governing body UEFA also announced that all of its matches this week – including the Champions League where Spanish clubs Atlético Madrid, Barcelona, Villarreal, Real Madrid and Betis are all playing Tuesday and Wednesday – would feature moments of silence in de Miguel’s memory.
The-CNN-Wire
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