Death of Jesus de Miguel, Tenerife striker, shakes football

On the pitch of Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López, silence enveloped the fans as the news of the death of Jesus de Miguel, Tenerife's striker, spread among the chants of the stadium that usually symbolizes joy and adrenaline.

Football has often had to reckon with its most fragile side. There are moments when a playing field, a symbol of joy, adrenaline and passion, suddenly turns into a theater of tragedies impossible to forget.

The case of Jesus de Miguel

Today we mourn the death of Jesus de Miguel, Tenerife's striker, who had been hospitalized yesterday in critical condition after a violent on‑field clash with Andorra's goalkeeper. The thirty‑year‑old player's death was confirmed by his club, a tragic news that shakes our world, once again powerless in the face of similar incidents.

A drama that adds to a long series of precedents involving footballers on the playing field. The first famous documented case is that of John Thomson, the twenty‑two‑year‑old Celtic goalkeeper, who in 1931 during the Old Firm launched himself to anticipate striker Sam English. The impact with the opponent's knee was tremendous and caused him a skull fracture and the rupture of an artery. Thomson lost consciousness immediately and died in hospital a few hours later.

Like him, many others did not make it. Guo Jiaxuan and Billy Vigar, before Jesus de Miguel, were the most recent in chronological order of a long list of players, often far from the big spotlights and the top divisions, struck by tragedies that have deeply marked world football.

From the early tragedies to recent incidents

In Italy, half a century later, there was great concern for Giancarlo Antognoni. During the Serie A match between Genoa and Fiorentina, the purple captain collided hard head‑against‑knee with goalkeeper Martina while attempting to reach a loose ball. Antognoni suffered a skull fracture and went into cardiac arrest for about thirty seconds. He was revived on the field thanks to cardiac massage and mouth‑to‑mouth ventilation performed by Genoa's doctor, Professor Gatto.

A year later, in the World Cup semi‑final between France and West Germany, French defender Battiston was struck in the penalty area by the violent charge of German goalkeeper Schumacher. Hit by the defender's hip, Battiston lost consciousness before hitting the ground. He suffered a broken jaw, the loss of three teeth and injuries to the cervical vertebrae, remaining in a coma for some time before recovering in the following months.

Moving to a more recent era, it is hard to forget what happened to Petr Čech twenty years ago. In the early minutes of the Premier League match between Chelsea and Reading, the Blues' goalkeeper suffered the impact of striker Hunt's knee on his head during a low challenge. The Czech suffered a skull fracture with bone fragments penetrating deeply, requiring a delicate emergency neurosurgical operation to save his life. He returned to play wearing a protective helmet permanently.

Staying in England, in the 2007 League Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal, defender John Terry was struck in the face by an accidental kick from Abou Diaby. The Blues' captain lost consciousness immediately and went into respiratory arrest due to choking caused by his tongue. The medical staff intervened with oxygen cylinders on the field, managing to clear the airway and stabilize him before transport to the hospital. Diaby admitted he thought he had killed him, given the violence of the impact.

The trail of fatal incidents continues

Ten years later, during a Czech First Division match between Bohemians 1905 and Slovacko, goalkeeper Berkovec collapsed to the ground unconscious after an accidental aerial clash with his own defender. Opposing striker Francis Kone, noticing that the goalkeeper was choking on his own tongue, intervened immediately with his fingers before the medics arrived, saving his life directly on the pitch.

In the final minutes of Deportivo La Coruña‑Atletico Madrid, Fernando Torres was struck on the back of the head by an aerial challenge from defender Bergantiños. Torres fell to the ground already unconscious, violently hitting his face on the playing surface. His teammates immediately clamped his jaw to prevent choking before he was hospitalized for a serious head injury.

Returning to Italy, in 2019 David Ospina suffered a hard blow to the head due to an impact with striker Pussetto during Napoli‑Udinese. Despite a conspicuous bandage he initially stayed on the field, but around the fortieth minute of the first half he suddenly collapsed to the ground on his own, unconscious, due to a crisis linked to the previously sustained head trauma, being rushed to a clinic.