The Royal Spanish Football Federation suspended Tuesday's Copa del Rey schedule after the Madrid-born forward suffered fatal cardiorespiratory arrest following Monday's abandoned league encounter in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Spain — Spanish professional soccer was plunged into mourning Tuesday after CD Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel died from injuries sustained during a second-tier league match against FC Andorra. He was 30.
The Madrid-born striker passed away at 8:00 a.m. local time at Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Tenerife, his club announced in a statement. De Miguel had been admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit on Monday night following emergency resuscitation by paramedics inside an ambulance.
The fatal incident occurred in stoppage time of Monday's Segunda División match at Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López. Pursuing a through ball near the midfield line in the closing seconds of the contest, De Miguel collided at full speed with Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who had sprinted far outside his penalty area to clear the danger.
Owono struck the forward with substantial force, leading with his knee as both players lunged toward the loose ball. The referee immediately showed Owono a direct red card. While the goalkeeper initially headed toward the player tunnel, he turned back toward the pitch upon seeing De Miguel lying motionless on the turf. Medical personnel from both clubs rushed onto the field and worked on De Miguel for several minutes before an ambulance transport was arranged. Match officials formally abandoned the fixture with the consent of both sides.
Emergency responders revived De Miguel after he suffered cardiorespiratory arrest in the ambulance en route to the hospital. Physicians placed him in the intensive care unit in critical condition, but his vital functions failed early Tuesday morning.
CD Tenerife confirmed the tragedy Tuesday morning with deep sorrow. The Canary Islands club stated that everyone associated with the organization was racked with pain and struggling to accept the loss, adding that no words could alleviate the overwhelming grief felt by his family, teammates, and supporters. Club officials also requested that the public respect the privacy of De Miguel's relatives during this period.
The tragedy prompted immediate administrative action from the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The national governing body announced the postponement of all official matches scheduled for Tuesday, including opening-round fixtures in the Copa del Rey. Among the postponed knockout ties were encounters featuring Pamplona against Eibar and Anaitasuna against Alavés. The federation also postponed the Copa de la Reina tie between Celta and Espanyol and called off the official media presentation in Madrid for Spain's under-21 national team ahead of an international friendly against Japan.
FC Andorra released a statement expressing devastation over De Miguel's death and extending heartfelt condolences to his relatives and Tenerife supporters. Gerard Piqué, the former Barcelona defender and owner of Andorra, voiced his grief publicly, writing that he felt the loss with all his soul. Piqué left the stadium late Monday evening to monitor the striker's medical situation directly at the hospital.
Tributes quickly surfaced across European football. Real Madrid held a minute of silence before Tuesday's first-team training session at Valdebebas and conveyed condolences to De Miguel's relatives. FC Barcelona issued a communique stating that the club deeply regretted the tragic outcome. Clubs across LaLiga and the lower tiers published sympathy messages throughout the morning.
Jesús Owono, the 25-year-old Equatorial Guinea international goalkeeper involved in the collision, deactivated his social media accounts Tuesday following an influx of abusive messages. Spanish reports confirmed that Owono had requested permission to contact De Miguel's family privately to express his remorse and condolences directly.
De Miguel arrived at CD Tenerife in the summer of 2025 following a breakthrough campaign with CD Castellón, where his 11 league goals helped secure promotion to the second tier. Born in Madrid in 1996, the forward spent the bulk of his career competing in Spain's lower divisions with clubs such as Fuenlabrada, Navalcarnero, and Unionistas de Salamanca, earning widespread respect for his work rate and tenacity.
The Spanish football federation stated that new dates for Tuesday's postponed cup ties will be coordinated with the participating clubs in the coming days. LaLiga confirmed that a minute of silence will be observed at all matches across the top two tiers this weekend in memory of the fallen forward.
Source:
Official Club Statement Nov 3, 2026
Official Club Statement Nov 3, 2026
Official Statement: Suspension of Fixtures Nov 3, 2026
Spanish soccer player Jesús de Miguel dies after on-pitch collision Nov 3, 2026
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