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Jesus de Miguel: Tenerife holds emotional farewell at stadium

Thousands gathered at Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez as CD Tenerife honoured striker Jesus de Miguel, who died aged 30 after a cardiac arrest following a collision.

By , Editor

· 1 min read

Miguel Monteiro
Miguel Monteiro (file photo) Photo: Darz Mol / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

CD Tenerife held a 90-minute tribute for striker Jesus de Miguel at Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Captain Enric Gallego spoke through tears as players and club representatives attended.

Key takeaways

  • Jesus de Miguel died aged 30 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a collision during a match.
  • Thousands of mourners gathered at Tenerife's stadium for a 90-minute tribute.
  • Captain Enric Gallego delivered an emotional speech while struggling through tears.
  • Representatives from every club in Spain's top two divisions attended, including Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno.

Thousands of mourners gathered at Tenerife's stadium on Saturday to bid farewell to striker Jesus de Miguel, with captain Enric Gallego struggling through tears to honour a teammate who died aged 30 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a collision during a match. Spanish second-division club Tenerife confirmed his death on Tuesday morning.

What happened

De Miguel collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono on Monday and was taken to intensive care. A huge banner bearing his black-and-white photograph and the words "Forever Demi" hung behind a stage in the centre of the pitch at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez.

After a video featuring footage of his Tenerife debut, supporters chanted: "De Miguel, we love you". Players sat alongside representatives from every club in Spain's top two divisions, including Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno, as tears flowed in the stands.

What was said

"To speak of you in the past tense is tremendously unfair," Gallego said, pausing repeatedly during his speech. "It's still hard to believe that this has happened to us, Demi; you'll always be one of us." "We're still struggling to come to terms with the fact that you won't be with us again," Gallego added.

The tribute

Speeches by club directors were followed by a religious service during the 90-minute tribute in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Matches across Spain's divisions over the weekend observed a minute's silence in De Miguel's honour.

Context

LaLiga 2 is Spain's second division. Tenerife is a Spanish second-division club based in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. The Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez is Tenerife's home stadium. De Miguel was a striker for Tenerife. Jesus Owono is a goalkeeper for Andorra. Emilio Butragueno is a Real Madrid director.

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