Tragedy rocks Spain: Tenerife player dies after horrific injury
A shock that words cannot describe
Spanish football is in mourning. Jesus de Miguel Alameda, the Tenerife forward, died today, Tuesday, at the age of 30, from the serious injury he suffered during his team's match against Andorra.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Sport", Tenerife announced the death of their player at eight o'clock on Tuesday morning. The news cast a shadow of deep sorrow over the club, its supporters and the wider football family, with the club issuing a moving statement admitting how hard it was to find words to console his loved ones.
"We are broken by the intensity of the pain, our tongues are tied by the shock, and we cannot believe this is real," the club said at the start of its message, declaring its full solidarity with the family of Jesus de Miguel, his loved ones and all of the team's supporters.
The message went on: "There are no words of comfort, and there is nothing that can ease this feeling full of sorrow." The club then offered its condolences: "We stand alongside his grieving family and loved ones, and alongside all members of the Tenerife family who weep today at this cruel end."
His family, for their part, thanked everyone for the messages of support and condolence, while asking for their privacy to be respected during these difficult moments.
The tragedy traces back to the serious incident the forward suffered during Tenerife's encounter with Andorra at the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez stadium. The collision happened in stoppage time.
De Miguel was breaking from the middle of the pitch to launch a counter-attack when he collided with the visiting goalkeeper, Jesus Owono, who had left his penalty area to intercept the ball.
The goalkeeper's knee struck the forward's chest and face. De Miguel fell to the ground unconscious. Players from both teams waved frantically for the medical staff to intervene immediately.
Medics treated the player for several minutes on the pitch before carrying him on a stretcher to an ambulance, then on to the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital.
De Miguel suffered a cardiac and respiratory arrest, forcing the medical teams to resuscitate him as he was transported to hospital. The attempts restored his pulse, but he remained unconscious and was admitted to intensive care in a critical condition.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Tenerife reported the deterioration of the player's neurological condition. They later announced his death, ending the attempts to save him after the tragic incident.
