The last ball Jesús de Miguel chased was a clearance bouncing toward the halfway line, with the match level and seconds from its end.
CD Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel Alameda died at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, the morning after a collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono left him in cardiac arrest, the Spanish second-division club announced. He was 30. The two players came together near midfield on Monday night, Nov. 2, in the seventh minute of stoppage time at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with the LaLiga 2 match tied 2-2.
“There are no words of comfort; there is absolutely nothing that can alleviate this feeling overflowing with sadness,” the club said in the statement confirming his death. De Miguel’s family thanked supporters for their messages and asked for privacy.
A Knee to the Chest at Midfield
Tenerife had cleared the ball from their own penalty area, and De Miguel — on as a substitute in the 59th minute, when his side led 2-0 — sprinted after it with his eyes on the bounce. Owono left his area and ran all the way to midfield for the same ball, then jumped to clear it. His knee struck De Miguel in the chest.
De Miguel curled onto his knees, clutching his torso for a few seconds, then fell onto his back with his arms dropping to his sides. Owono was shown a straight red card. Players from both teams waved frantically toward the touchline for medical staff, some of De Miguel’s teammates in tears. Medical staff worked on him on the pitch for more than five minutes before an ambulance took him to hospital, and referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández abandoned the match.
He went into cardiorespiratory arrest, and his heart and breathing stopped for about 20 minutes before CPR brought back his pulse. He was taken to the Hospital Universitario de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Santa Cruz and admitted to intensive care. On Monday night the club described him as stable. Overnight, his condition deteriorated neurologically.
Why Charges Are Thought Unlikely
Spain’s National Police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter, putting the case under judicial oversight. That is standard procedure: under Spanish law, deaths from non-natural causes, accidents included, are subject to judicial investigation.
José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui, the chief prosecutor in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, told Spanish news agency EFE that criminal proceedings were unlikely, because the collision happened during play. The precise medical cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Spanish football has lost players on the field before. Raúl Ramírez Osorio, a 19-year-old goalkeeper, died in September 2025 after a collision in a lower-division match. Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta died in 2007 after suffering cardiac arrests during a LaLiga game against Getafe.
The Other Owono Takes the Abuse
Owono had begun walking off after the red card when he turned around and joined the players rushing to check on De Miguel. He has deactivated an Instagram account that had nearly 30,000 followers, and Spanish reports say he has closed his social media accounts and intends to apologize to De Miguel’s family. Andorra is offering psychological support to its squad.
A different Owono paid a price too: Michel Owono, who plays for Can Vidalet in Spain’s sixth division, said he was flooded with racist abuse by people who thought he was the Andorra keeper.
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. It also scrapped a 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 Tuesday, Nov. 3. Barcelona and Real Madrid were among the Spanish clubs that sent condolences.
Gerard Piqué, the former Spain international and majority owner of FC Andorra, said he was sorry “with all my soul.” Javier Tebas, the LaLiga president, offered condolences to the family, teammates and the club, calling the loss irreparable. Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé said there were no words to describe it.
A Final Farewell in Navahermosa
De Miguel’s body will be taken to Navahermosa, in the Toledo province, at the family’s request, Rayco García, Tenerife’s largest shareholder, told reporters. The first team, the coaching staff and club management will attend the funeral. Tenerife entered six days of official mourning and suspended club activities, including the women’s team and youth football.
Born in Madrid, De Miguel began his senior career with Leganés B in 2015 and played for eight other clubs in Spain. He made his professional debut with Castellón in August 2024, at 27, after top-scoring with 16 goals in the 2023-24 promotion season, then joined Tenerife in 2025 on a three-year deal. He scored 11 goals in 29 matches for the club. Spanish media reported that he is survived by his wife and their daughter.
Tenerife asked for their league game at Granada on Saturday, Nov. 7, to be postponed. Fans will gather at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López at 6 p.m. that day to honor him.
“We will need professional help and the help of all of our fans,” Felipe Miñambres, the Tenerife president, said of the players and their families.