Tenerife Striker Jesús de Miguel Dies of Cardiac Arrest After On-Field Collision, Spanish Police Open Investigation

Spanish club Tenerife's striker Jesús de Miguel has died in hospital a day after a brutal on-field collision with the opposing goalkeeper. The collision happened on Monday (November 2) at Tenerife's home ground in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, in stoppage time of the match against FC Andorra. He suffered cardiac arrest and died in hospital on Tuesday morning. He was 30 years old.

The match was heading for a 2-2 draw. In stoppage time, De Miguel was sprinting through the middle of the field chasing a long pass from a teammate when he was blind-sided by Andorra's goalkeeper rushing out of his area. A photo caption names the goalkeeper as Jesús Owono. De Miguel crashed to the ground and suffered cardiac arrest.

His teammates affectionately called him 'Demi', while football fans across Spain simply knew him as Jesús de Miguel. His death was confirmed on Tuesday. The left-footed striker stood 6 feet 2 inches tall and made his living competing for balls in the air.

De Miguel was born in Madrid in 1996. He began his career with Leganés' reserve team in 2015. He went on to play for several clubs in Spain's lower divisions, most of them in and around the Spanish capital, moving from club to club to make a living from the sport, as many professional players do.

His most productive season came after he joined Castellón in 2023. His 16 goals that season helped the club earn promotion to the second division. In the second tier, however, he struggled to keep scoring.

In the summer of 2025, he left mainland Spain for Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Back in the third division, he scored six goals in his first five games and finished the season with 11, helping the blue-and-white club earn another promotion.

De Miguel is survived by his daughter, who was born last year, and her mother. Former teammate Fernando Román wrote on social media that he was devastated by the death of a friend he described as 'humble, hard-working … above all a good person'.

Tenerife said De Miguel's body would be transported to Navahermosa, in the Toledo province, at the request of his family, and that his teammates and club officials would be present for a final farewell.

Club president Felipe Miñambres said, 'We need to give Demi the tribute he deserves. And from that point on we will always carry him in our hearts.'

On Tuesday (November 3), a screen showed De Miguel's portrait in tribute before the Champions League match between Atlético Madrid and Bayern Munich in Madrid.

Spanish police have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding De Miguel's death, including whether the collision could constitute involuntary manslaughter. The case is under judicial supervision. Spanish law requires an investigation into deaths from non-natural causes, including accidents.

However, Santa Cruz de Tenerife chief prosecutor José Luis Sánchez-Jáuregui told the Spanish news agency EFE that criminal proceedings appeared unlikely because the collision occurred during play. He added that authorities must first consider the referee's report and the findings of the sports disciplinary committee.