The last ball Jesús de Miguel Alameda ever chased was a clearance bouncing toward the halfway line, with the match level and seconds from its end.
The Spanish second-division club CD Tenerife announced that its forward, Jesús de Miguel Alameda, 30, died at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. A collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono the previous evening had left him in cardiac arrest.
The emergency treatment de Miguel received on the field is now under scrutiny. Nobody has established what care he received during the more than five minutes he lay on the pitch, or whether a defibrillator was used. Some Spanish media reported that CPR was performed in the ambulance, others on the field, and the location and timing remain unestablished. Elvira González, president of Spain’s Association of Nurses, Emergency Medics and Caregivers, said on Nov. 4: “We can’t say if they acted correctly or incorrectly, but we can demand that all the emergency procedures follow international standards of correct practice.” González also said: “The first thing we need to know is where and when he supposedly recovered a pulse.”
Rayco García, Tenerife’s largest shareholder, said on Nov. 3 that the medical team followed protocol and “were fast to get on the field.” The ambulance did not drive onto the field because the club’s medical service did not order it to approach, he said. “I prefer to wait for the autopsy and then we can take steps and talk about what needs talking about,” García said.
The Clearance He Chased at Midfield
De Miguel came on as a substitute in the 59th minute at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with his side leading 2-0. The LaLiga 2 match was tied 2-2 by the seventh minute of stoppage time on Monday night, Nov. 2, when Tenerife cleared the ball out of their own penalty area. De Miguel sprinted after it near midfield, his eyes on the bounce. Owono left his area and ran to midfield for the same ball, and his jump to clear drove his knee into de Miguel’s chest.
De Miguel curled onto his knees and clutched his torso for a few seconds, then went onto his back, his arms dropping to his sides. Players from both teams waved toward the touchline for medical staff, and some teammates were in tears. Owono drew a straight red card. Medical staff worked on the pitch for more than five minutes before an ambulance took him to hospital, and referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández abandoned the match.
De Miguel suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest. His heart and breathing stopped for about 20 minutes before CPR brought back his pulse, and doctors admitted him to intensive care at the Hospital Universitario de Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Santa Cruz. The club described him as stable on Monday night. Overnight, his condition deteriorated neurologically. A preliminary autopsy report pointed to chest trauma as a cause consistent with his death, the New York Post reported, though the court has not released its findings.
“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. “We will need professional help and the help of all of our fans,” Felipe Miñambres, Tenerife’s president, said of the players and their families.
Why Criminal Charges Look Unlikely
Spain’s National Police opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter, and the case sits under judicial oversight. Spanish law makes deaths from non-natural causes, accidents included, subject to judicial investigation as standard procedure. José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui, chief prosecutor in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, said that criminal proceedings are unlikely because the collision happened during play.
The Goalkeeper Who Turned Back
Owono walked off after the red card, then turned around and came back as players rushed to check on de Miguel. “These are the most difficult days of my life,” he said in a statement issued through his club on Nov. 4. “I feel an immense pain over the loss of Jesús. I think of him, his family, and everyone who loved him. I know there will be many matters to address, and I will face whatever comes with the utmost respect.” His Instagram account, with nearly 30,000 followers, was deactivated.
FC Andorra offered psychological support to its squad. Michel Owono, a player for Can Vidalet in Spain’s sixth division, said people mistaking him for the Andorra keeper flooded him with racist abuse.
The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) postponed all matches set for Tuesday, Nov. 3, pushed back every Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina fixture scheduled through Thursday, Nov. 5, and dropped the presentation it had planned for the Under-21 game Spain was to play against Japan. European games would open with a period of silence, UEFA said.
Atlético Madrid, Barcelona and Villarreal were among the clubs playing Champions League matches that observed it on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Condolences arrived from Spanish clubs including Barcelona and Real Madrid. Gerard Piqué, the former Spain international who is 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 club and called the loss irreparable. Kylian Mbappé, the Real Madrid forward, said he had no words to describe it.
A Journey Home to Navahermosa
De Miguel’s family thanked supporters for their messages and asked for privacy in a statement issued through the player’s representative, Manuel Hernández. “Jesús leaves a void that is impossible to fill, but also an immense memory in all of us who have had the good fortune to share our lives with him,” the family said. “Thank you for loving him, for remembering him, and for standing by us.”
The funeral was held Thursday, Nov. 5, in Navahermosa, his hometown in the Toledo province. Tenerife players joined family, friends and senior figures from Spanish football, including federation president Rafael Louzán and Spain coach Luis de la Fuente. De Miguel’s wife and one-year-old daughter were at the Nov. 2 match, and his parents flew to Tenerife, García said.
Tenerife declared six days of official mourning and suspended club activities, including the women’s team and youth football. The club requested a postponement of its league game at Granada on Saturday, Nov. 7, and the Spanish footballers’ union, AFE, asked that all professional league matches that weekend be called off. Fans plan to meet that day at 6 p.m. at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López for a tribute to him.
De Miguel was born in Madrid and started his senior career at Leganés B in 2015. Eight other clubs in Spain followed, and Castellón gave him his professional debut in August 2024, at 27, after he finished 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.
Other players have died on the field in Spanish football. Raúl Ramírez Osorio, a goalkeeper who was 19, died in September 2025 following a collision in a lower-division match. Antonio Puerta, a Sevilla defender, died in 2007 after suffering cardiac arrests during a LaLiga game against Getafe.
