Hakimi issues an emotional message following the death of Tenerife's striker
A death shakes Spain
Achraf Hakimi has joined the list of football stars mourning Jesus de Miguel. The Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco star paid tribute to the Tenerife forward, who died at the age of 30 after suffering a serious injury during his side's Spanish Second Division clash with FC Andorra.
Posting on his social media accounts, Hakimi wrote: "A warm tribute to all his loved ones.. may he rest in peace", standing alongside the player's family and admirers in the wake of the tragedy.
De Miguel collided violently with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during the final minutes at the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez stadium. Owono rushed out to challenge the forward for a loose ball, and the impact left De Miguel with a serious injury. Medical staff intervened before an ambulance took him to hospital.
Referees halted the match with the score at 2-2.
Hakimi was not alone. FC Andorra moved quickly to mourn the player with a touching message: "With broken hearts and deep sorrow, we offer our sincerest condolences to the family of Jesus de Miguel, all his teammates and friends, and to Tenerife.. rest in peace".
Gerard Pique, the Andorran club president and former Barcelona defender, voiced his own grief too. "I am extremely sorry.. may Jesus rest in peace", he wrote, with media reports suggesting he left the venue in a hurry after the incident to check on the forward's condition.
Tenerife announced De Miguel's death at eight o'clock on Tuesday morning. An official statement confirmed the club was in a state of deep sorrow and asked for his family's privacy to be respected in these painful circumstances.
The fallout reached domestic competitions. The Royal Spanish Football Federation suspended Tuesday's Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina fixtures in mourning, and also scrapped the presentation ceremony for Spain Under-21s' match against Japan in Almendralejo. New dates for the postponed games will be announced later.