The last ball Jesús de Miguel Alameda ever chased was a clearance bouncing toward the halfway line, with the match level and seconds left to play.
De Miguel, a 30-year-old CD Tenerife forward, died at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, the Spanish second-division club announced, the morning after a collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono left him in cardiac arrest.
De Miguel had come on as a substitute in the 59th minute with his side leading 2-0. Tenerife cleared the ball from its own penalty area in the seventh minute of stoppage time, with the LaLiga 2 match tied 2-2 at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Monday night, Nov. 2.
De Miguel sprinted after it, his eyes on the bounce. Owono left his area, ran to midfield for the same ball and jumped to clear it. His knee struck De Miguel in the chest near midfield.
De Miguel curled onto his knees and clutched his torso for a few seconds, then fell onto his back, his arms dropping to his sides. Players of both teams waved frantically toward the touchline for medical staff, and some teammates were in tears. Owono was shown a straight red card, and the referee, Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández, abandoned the match.
Medical staff worked on the pitch for more than five minutes before an ambulance took the forward to Hospital Universitario de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Santa Cruz, where he was admitted to intensive care. He had gone into cardiorespiratory arrest; his heart and breathing stopped for about 20 minutes before CPR brought back a pulse.
The club described his condition as stable on Monday night. Overnight, he deteriorated neurologically. The precise medical cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
“There are no words of comfort; there is absolutely nothing that can alleviate this feeling overflowing with sadness,” the club said in a statement confirming his death. His family thanked supporters for their messages and asked for privacy.
Why Prosecutors Doubt a Case
Spain’s National Police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter, and the case sits under judicial oversight. Under Spanish law, deaths from non-natural causes, accidents included, are subject to judicial investigation as standard procedure.
José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui, the chief prosecutor in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, said criminal proceedings were unlikely because the collision happened during play. The chief prosecutor added that authorities must first consider the referee’s report along with the findings of the sports disciplinary committee.
A Red Card, Then Racist Abuse
Owono started walking off after the red card, then turned around and joined the players rushing to check on De Miguel. He later deactivated an Instagram account with nearly 30,000 followers.
The goalkeeper broke his silence in a statement that opened, “These are the most difficult days of my life.” He closed with a tribute, saying he could not think about anything other than Jesus and the pain they were experiencing, and asking that De Miguel rest in peace.
Andorra defender Lautaro Spatz wrote of his teammate that those who know him know the kind of person he is, how much he is suffering at this moment, and that he would never intentionally hurt anyone. The club offered psychological support to its squad.
Michel Owono, a Can Vidalet player in Spain’s sixth division, said people who thought he was the Andorra keeper flooded him with racist abuse.
A Pause in the Ninth Minute
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) postponed all matches set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, and pushed back every Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina fixture scheduled through Thursday, Nov. 5. The RFEF also scrapped the planned presentation for Spain’s Under-21 game against Japan.
UEFA said a period of silence would be observed before European games, among them the Champions League matches involving Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Villarreal on Nov. 3. “We are heartbroken by the death of Jesús de Miguel Alameda,” UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said.
The three Spanish clubs hosting Champions League games that night — Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Villarreal — chose not to play the competition anthem before kickoff. Real Madrid players held a minute of silence in training, and Espanyol postponed the presentation of its new coach.
Barcelona and Real Madrid were among the Spanish clubs sending condolences. “There are no words. My condolences and lots of strength to all his family and friends,” Lionel Messi posted on Instagram on Nov. 3.
Gerard Piqué, the former Spain international who is majority owner of FC Andorra, said he was sorry “with all my soul.” LaLiga President Javier Tebas sent condolences to the family, teammates and the club, and called the loss irreparable. Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé said he had no words to describe it.
Tenerife declared six days of official mourning and suspended club activities, including the women’s team and youth football. The club postponed its league game at Granada on Saturday, Nov. 7, and scheduled a tribute for fans at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López that evening.
LaLiga, the RFEF and Liga F ordered a pause in the ninth minute of all matches from Nov. 6 to 9, honoring his No. 9 shirt. “We will need professional help and the help of all of our fans,” Tenerife President Felipe Miñambres said of the players and their families.
A Burial in His Parents’ Hometown
The family buried De Miguel on Thursday, Nov. 5, in Navahermosa, in the Toledo province, his parents’ hometown, at its request. Tenerife’s first team, coaching staff and club management attended, along with Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez.
De Miguel was born in Madrid and began his senior career at Leganés B in 2015, then played for eight other clubs in Spain. He made his professional debut with Castellón in August 2024, at 27, after finishing as top scorer with 16 goals in the 2023-24 promotion season. He joined Tenerife in 2025 on a three-year deal and scored 11 goals in 29 matches for the club.
He is survived by his daughter, who was born in 2025, and her mother. His death follows that of Raúl Ramírez Osorio, a 19-year-old goalkeeper who died in September 2025 after a collision in a lower-division match, and that of Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta, who died in 2007 after suffering cardiac arrests during a LaLiga game against Getafe.
