Death of Jesus de Miguel: the tragic deaths of footballers in the middle of a match

Before Jesus de Miguel, who died on Tuesday following a collision in the middle of a match with his club Tenerife in the Spanish 2nd division, other football players suffered sudden deaths on the field. Here are the ones that stood out.

November 3, 2026: Spanish striker from Tenerife Jesus de Miguel (Spanish D2) died in hospital where he was transported after suffering a shock in the middle of a match the previous evening with the goalkeeper of the Andorra club. After remaining unconscious on the pitch, De Miguel was transported to hospital where his neurological condition worsened. He was pronounced dead Tuesday morning.

August 23, 2026: Portuguese attacking midfielder Quevin Castro died in the hospital where he had been transported the day before after collapsing on the pitch around ten minutes after the kick-off of the Portuguese D3 match between his club Real Sport Clube and Estrela da Amadora.

August 27, 2024: Uruguayan defender Juan Izquierdo suffered a heart attack during a Copa Libertadores match with Nacional against Sao Paulo. He was pronounced dead a few days later.

November 11, 2023: Ghanaian international striker Raphael Dwamena collapses during the Albanian championship match. He had a known cardiac history.

May 6, 2016: Cameroonian midfielder Patrick Ekeng, playing for Dinamo Bucharest (Romanian D1), died in a hospital in the Romanian capital following a heart attack, seven minutes after entering the field during a Championship match.

April 30, 2015: Belgian defender from Lokeren (Belgian D1) Gregory Mertens, victim of a heart attack during a reserves match against Genk three days earlier, died in a hospital in Brussels.

April 14, 2012: Italian midfielder from Livorno Piermario Morosini died following illness during a 2nd division football match in Pescara.

December 29, 2007: Scottish midfielder Phil O'Donnell suffered a heart attack while leaving the field to be substituted just after scoring a goal for Motherwell against Dundee in the Scottish Championship.

August 28, 2007: Spanish defender of Sevilla FC (Spanish D1) Antonio Puerta died three days after suffering several cardiac arrests. He first fainted on the pitch, during a championship match against Getafe, then in the locker room. He suffered in particular from a “ventricular arrhythmia”.

October 27, 2004: Serginho, 30, Brazilian player for Sao Caetano (Brazilian D1), collapsed on the pitch during a match against Sao Paulo before dying. His death created a huge controversy in Brazil because the autopsy revealed that the player's heart was diseased and weighed 600 grams, approximately twice the normal weight. The Sao Caetano club, its president and its doctor were heavily sanctioned by the sporting justice system (suspensions and withdrawal of points in the ranking for the club).

December 5, 2004: Dempo's Brazilian striker Cristiano Junior collides with the opposing goalkeeper during an Indian Championship match against Bangalore. He scores then succumbs to head injuries.

January 25, 2004: Hungarian striker from Benfica Lisbon (Portuguese D1) Miklos Feher, 24, collapsed on the pitch during a match against Vitoria Guimaraes. Taken to hospital, Feher never regained consciousness. According to the autopsy, he suffered from a heart defect.

June 26, 2003: Cameroonian Marc-Vivien Foé, 28, died in Lyon following an illness that occurred on the field during the semi-final of the Confederations Cup against Colombia. The player, who was then playing for Manchester City (English D1), collapsed in the central circle of the pitch at the Gerland stadium. Victim of a ruptured aneurysm, he was placed in cardiac intensive care for 45 minutes without a positive reaction. According to the autopsy, he suffered from a heart defect.