Tenerife’s Jesús de Miguel dies after on-field collision

CD Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel died at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The day before, he had gone into cardiac arrest after a collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a Segunda División match, Reuters reported. He was 30. His death led to postponed fixtures in Spain and tributes from across the sport, and UEFA announced a minute of silence at all of its matches this week.reuters.com+1

Collision in stoppage time

The score was 2-2 deep into stoppage time on Monday when a teammate played a long ball forward. De Miguel chased it and was blindsided by Owono, who had rushed out of his area. According to Reuters, the goalkeeper's knee struck the forward in the chest. Owono was sent off with a straight red card, and medical staff treated De Miguel on the field for more than five minutes before an ambulance took him to hospital. The match did not resume. The referee wrote in his report that the teams went to the dressing rooms and then agreed to call the game off, The Athletic reported.apnews.com+2

De Miguel was taken to intensive care at the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital. Tenerife first described his condition as serious but stable, but a club update at 3:56 a.m. on Tuesday said he had worsened. Yahoo Sports reported that the club said his condition had "worsened neurologically." Citing ABC News, the outlet also said Spanish police had opened an investigation.nytimes.com+1

Tributes pour in

"There are no words of comfort; there is absolutely nothing that can ease this overwhelming sense of sadness," Tenerife said in a statement published by UEFA. "We have searched for words and found only silence," UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin said.uefa.com

Lionel Messi wrote, "There are no words… My condolences and much strength to all his family and friends." Andorra and its president, Gerard Piqué, also sent condolences. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool were among the clubs that issued messages. Spain's football federation (RFEF) postponed all of Tuesday's matches, including Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina games, and cancelled the official presentation of Spain's Under-21 match against Japan.espndeportes.espn.com+1

A journeyman's career

De Miguel was born in Madrid in 1996 and began his career with Leganés' reserves in 2015. He then moved through a series of lower-division clubs. In 2023-24 he scored 16 goals to help Castellón win promotion. He joined Tenerife in 2025 and scored 11 goals as the club returned to the second tier. He also sat on the board of the Spanish footballers' union, AFE. His survivors include a daughter born last year.apnews.com+1

His body will be taken to Navahermosa, in Toledo province. "We need to give Demi the tribute he deserves," Tenerife president Felipe Miñambres said.apnews.com