Soccer-Tenerife bid tearful farewell to De Miguel

T ​housands of mourners gathered at Tenerife's ​stadium on Saturday to ‌bid farewell ​to striker Jesus de Miguel, with captain Enric Gallego struggling through tears to honour a teammate who ‌died aged 30 after suffering a cardiac arrest following a collision during a match. De Miguel collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono on Monday and was taken ‌to intensive care. Spanish second-division club Tenerife confirmed his death on Tuesday ‌morning.

A huge banner bearing his black-and-white photograph and the words "Forever Demi" hung behind a stage in the centre of the pitch at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez. After a video featuring ⁠footage of ​his Tenerife debut, ⁠supporters chanted: "De Miguel, we love you".

Players sat alongside representatives from every club in Spain's top ⁠two divisions, including Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno, as tears flowed in the stands. "To ​speak of you in the past tense is tremendously unfair," Gallego said, ⁠pausing repeatedly during his speech.

"It's still hard to believe that this has happened to us, ⁠Demi; ​you'll always be one of us." Demi was the nickname used by De Miguel's friends.

"We're still struggling to come to terms with the fact that ⁠you won't be with us again," Gallego added. Speeches by club directors were followed ⁠by a religious ⁠service during the 90-minute tribute in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Matches across Spain's divisions over the weekend observed a minute's ‌silence in ‌De Miguel's honour.