Tenerife Striker Jesus de Miguel Dies at 30 After Pitch Collision
The 30-year-old forward collapsed after being struck in the chest by Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a Segunda Division match that was abandoned in stoppage time.
By Chioma Kuznetsov ·
Jesus de Miguel, a 30-year-old striker for CD Tenerife, died following a cardiac arrest on Tuesday, one day after a collision during a league match. The Spanish second-tier club confirmed the death on Tuesday, describing the loss as tragic and expressing deep sadness.
The Segunda Division game against Andorra was stopped seven minutes into stoppage time. De Miguel collapsed after Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono rushed out of his area to clear a long ball. Owono struck the forward in the chest with his knee. Players from both teams signaled for medical assistance as De Miguel lay motionless on the grass.
Medical staff treated the striker on the pitch for more than five minutes before transporting him to a hospital via ambulance. Owono was shown a straight red card for the incident. Spanish police have opened proceedings regarding a possible involuntary manslaughter charge. Judicial authorities in the Canary Islands stated that the inquiry is a routine procedure triggered by any death deemed non-natural under Spanish law.
CD Tenerife said in a statement that the club was racked with pain and unable to believe the news. The club noted that there were no words of comfort to alleviate the overwhelming sadness. Andorra, the opposing club, said they shared deeply in Tenerife's sadness. They requested to postpone their next fixture against RCD Mallorca, which was scheduled for Sunday.
Andorra President Gerard Pique wrote on social media that he was sorry with all his heart. The Equatorial Guinea international Owono deactivated his Instagram account on Tuesday morning after facing abuse on social media following the incident. The Spanish Football Federation postponed all matches scheduled for Tuesday, including Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina games. The federation also canceled the official presentation for Spain’s Under-21 match against Japan.
UEFA announced that a period of silence would be observed before all European games this week. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said the organization was heartbroken and had searched for words but found only silence. Spanish clubs Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Villarreal were scheduled for Champions League action on Tuesday. Barcelona and Real Madrid issued statements expressing their condolences to De Miguel’s family, teammates, and club.
De Miguel was born in Madrid in 1996. He joined Tenerife from Castellon ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. He scored 11 goals for the club in the previous season.
