Tenerife Forward Jesús de Miguel Dies at 30 After Collision With Andorra Goalkeeper

Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel Alameda died at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3, the club announced. He was 30.

He had been in intensive care since Monday's Spanish second-division match against Andorra, which was abandoned after a collision with Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono.

What happened on the pitch

The game had been pushed back 24 hours because of the risk of torrential rain on the island. It was level at 2-2 in the 96th minute, seven minutes into stoppage time.

A long ball went up the pitch. De Miguel chased it. Owono came a long way out of his goal, jumped forward and struck De Miguel in the chest with his knee near the centre circle.

Referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández showed Owono a straight red card. De Miguel lay motionless while players from both sides signalled for medics. Staff worked on him for more than five minutes as teammates stood in tears. The referee formally abandoned the match in the 108th minute.

From the ambulance to the hospital

Local media reported that De Miguel went into cardiac arrest in the ambulance. Emergency personnel restored his pulse on the way to the Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Tenerife's first update said he could breathe unassisted and was stable, but unconscious and in critical condition. At 5 a.m. Tuesday the club said his condition had worsened neurologically. He died three hours later.

Tenerife has not announced a formal cause of death.

"Heartbroken, with a lump in our throats and unable to believe this is true," the club said in its statement. It added that there were "no words of comfort," and that the family asked for "the utmost respect for their privacy during these terrible times."

De Miguel joined Tenerife from Castellón in the summer of 2025. He had made six appearances this season, all off the bench.

Andorra's response and the backlash against Owono

Owono is 25 and plays internationally for Equatorial Guinea. He previously played for Deportivo Alavés and joined Andorra permanently in August after a season on loan.

Andorra said in a statement it was sending "our most sincere condolences" to De Miguel's family, teammates, friends and Tenerife. Club president Gerard Piqué wrote on X after the death was announced: "I am so sorry. Rest in peace, Jesus."

Owono has made no public statement. Journalist Iván Alvarez said on COPE radio, before the death was announced, that Andorra and Owono insist there was no intention to cause harm. According to Alvarez, the club described the challenge as a mistimed action that went terribly wrong, which Alvarez himself called "excessive and violent."

The Spanish newspaper AS reported that Owono was crying and praying in the dressing room and was visibly shaken on the trip back to Andorra. People close to him told AS: "He is a caring, very kind person. He has no malice."

The other side of that argument played out inside the stadium. Alvarez said the Heliodoro crowd chanted "murderer" at Owono, and footage from the stands showed him clashing with supporters as he left the pitch. He has since closed his Instagram account after a flood of abusive messages, according to AS and Alvarez.

The reports say Owono intends to contact De Miguel's family privately before saying anything publicly. Whether that plan changes after the death is unknown.

What comes next

Spanish reports cited by the Daily Mail say Owono is expected to avoid criminal sanctions and face only sporting penalties. No criminal charge or investigation has been announced.

The record so far is a red card for a challenge that a referee judged serious enough to end Owono's night immediately. The consequences for De Miguel were far beyond anything a red card is built for.

The Spanish football authorities have not announced a disciplinary decision on Owono, or what will happen to the abandoned fixture. Tenerife has not yet said what memorial arrangements it will hold.