Tenerife bid tearful farewell to striker Jesus de Miguel at stadium tribute
Thousands gathered at Tenerife's stadium on Saturday to say goodbye to striker Jesus de Miguel, who died aged 30. He suffered a cardiac arrest after a collision during a football match.
Thousands of people gathered at the stadium of Spanish second-division football club Tenerife, in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, on Saturday to say goodbye to striker Jesus de Miguel. The player died aged 30 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a collision during a match.
De Miguel collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono on Monday and was taken to intensive care. Tenerife confirmed his death on Tuesday morning.
Farewell at the stadium
A large black-and-white photograph of the player, with the words "Forever Demi", hung behind a stage set up in the centre of the pitch at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez. "Demi" was the nickname his friends used. After a video showing footage of his Tenerife debut, supporters chanted: "De Miguel, we love you".
Teammates sat alongside representatives of every club in Spain's top two divisions, among them Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno. Many in the stands were in tears.
Team captain Enric Gallego paused repeatedly during his speech as he fought back tears. He said that speaking of De Miguel in the past tense was tremendously unfair and that it was still hard to believe what had happened. "You'll always be one of us," he said, adding that the team was still struggling to accept that De Miguel would not be with them again.
Club directors also spoke, and a religious service followed. The whole tribute lasted 90 minutes.
Matches across Spain's divisions over the weekend observed a minute's silence in De Miguel's honour.
