Jesús de Miguel dies after tragic collision on Heliodoro
On Monday afternoon at 15:00 at the Heliodoro Rodríguez stadium in Tenerife, the 30‑year‑old forward Jesús de Miguel of CD Tenerife sprinted forward, when he was head‑on hit in injury time during a 2‑2 draw against FC Andorra by goalkeeper Jesús Owono, a collision that cost him his life.
With Spain, the whole football world mourns a death that rarely occurs on the pitch. A hard collision on Monday with the opponent's goalkeeper cost the 30‑year‑old Jesús de Miguel of CD Tenerife his life. “There are no words of comfort for this,” said correspondent Edwin Winkels.
From the stands, his wife María, with their 1.5‑year‑old daughter Carla on her lap, saw more than he did. She and about 13,000 spectators saw that goalkeeper Jesús Owono was much closer than her husband thought. While Miguel ran forward, he only looked back at the high‑kicked ball.
The national goalkeeper of Equatorial Guinea intercepted the ball with his abdomen, jumped high and his right knee struck the chest and face of the 30‑year‑old Miguel with unimaginable consequences. The referee gave Owono a red card, while defender Diego Alende warned with wild gestures that Miguel was badly injured. The striker, who had been subbed on in the second half, could be resuscitated only with difficulty.
Reactions from club and football world
UEFA announced a minute's silence for all matches that week. CD Tenerife announced the news immediately, describing himself as ‘broken with pain, with a lump in the throat’, and summoned the first men’s and women’s teams into deep mourning. Among the thousands of condolences, former Castellón coach Dick Schreuder wrote on social media: ‘Demi, always in the heart.’
Tragedy strikes CD Tenerife as Jesús de Miguel dies after collision
Rayco Garcia, principal shareholder of CD Tenerife, and chairman Felipe Miñambres spoke emotionally about the loss. Garcia called on supporters to gather at the Heliodoro stadium on Saturday at 18:00 for a joint farewell, and announced that the body would first be taken to Madrid and then to Toledo, where the full professional team will pay a final tribute. They thanked everyone for the support and emphasized the need for psychological assistance for players and families.
At Castellón, where Miguel played between 2023 and 2025, he scored sixteen goals, helping to achieve promotion to the Segunda División in 2024. However, he never got a chance in the Primera División. His football name was ‘Demi’.
Owono and the match
When Owono left the field, spectators shouted ‘asesino’, but no one could have predicted that Miguel would die. Some supporters suffered a nervous breakdown and many players were also affected; the match was not completed. Owono quickly removed his profiles from social media; according to his club he was heavily struck and a club doctor had to accompany him throughout the night.
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Legal and medical aftermath
In the coming days, once the autopsy is performed, María and Carla will say goodbye to their husband and father at the Navahermosa cemetery in the province of Toledo. The Spanish police have opened an investigation; the judiciary emphasized that the death is examined according to protocol when there is no natural cause. In addition to a sporting suspension, the goalkeeper could be prosecuted legally for death by negligence.