Tenerife forward dies at 30 after cardiac arrest from midfield collision
The player was struck in the chest by Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono during a 2-2 draw in Spain's second division on Monday.
By Ethan Cook ·
Jesús de Miguel, a 30-year-old striker for CD Tenerife, died on Tuesday morning following a cardiac arrest caused by a collision on the field.
The incident occurred on Monday during a Segunda División match against Andorra. De Miguel was contesting a long ball near the center circle in added time when Owono, who had rushed out of his goal area, struck him in the chest. The goalkeeper received a direct red card for the impact.
The game, which stood at 2-2, was suspended after De Miguel collapsed. He initially knelt and held his torso before falling backward with his arms at his sides. Medical staff transported him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
De Miguel was born in Madrid and made his professional debut in 2015 with Leganés B. He played for various lower-division clubs in Spain before joining Tenerife in 2025. The club, based in the Canary Islands, stated it was broken with pain in a release. The statement read that there were no words of comfort to mitigate the sadness and that the team stood with his devastated family and fans.
Andorra, a club owned by former Barcelona star Gerard Piqué, sent its condolences. In a statement, the Andorra team offered its sincere sympathy to De Miguel's family, teammates, friends, and the Tenerife club. The Spanish Football Federation and La Liga also issued messages of mourning.
The Spanish Football Federation postponed two Copa del Rey matches and one Copa de la Reina game that were scheduled for Tuesday. Fatal collisions in football are rare. In 2025, 19-year-old Colindres goalkeeper Raúl Ramírez died from head injuries sustained during a fifth-division match after suffering two cardiac arrests. In 2001, Ukrainian goalkeeper Serhiy Perkhun died from head injuries received during a match while playing for CSKA Moscow.
Owono left the field after receiving the red card but turned back to join other players checking on De Miguel. The collision marked the second fatal injury from a physical impact in Spanish football in two years.
