Death of Jesus de Miguel, who was the Spanish Tenerife footballer

Jesus and Jesus. Jesus de Miguel, 30, known to everyone simply as “Demi”, has died from the consequences of an on-pitch collision. He was clattered into on the pitch by Jesus Owono, 25. A striker and a goalkeeper who shared a biblical name and collided in stoppage time of a match in the Spanish Segunda, the second tier. Tenerife v Andorra, postponed due to weather conditions from Sunday to Monday and exploding in all its immense tragedy in the 95th minute, with the score at 2-2.

the collision

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A long ball from defence, Jesus de Miguel waiting for the ball just past the halfway line, Jesus Owono racing way out of his area to intercept it and clattering into his fellow professional (who did not even see him coming). A reckless leap, a tremendous, violent impact, the goalkeeper’s knee crashing into the striker’s chest. De Miguel fell into a foetal position, moved, and lay flat on the grass. The goalkeeper shook a teammate’s hand and walked off. The referee had shown him a red card, and Owono headed off without caring about the fate of his opponent. Clearly, he had not realised the severity of the collision. As he headed towards the dressing rooms, he crossed paths with the Tenerife and Andorra medical staff running in the opposite direction. They certainly had realised that the situation was critical. A teammate alerted Owono, who began to understand. The players were distraught. From the stands they shouted asesino, murderer; reality was about to hit him with the same force with which he had hit De Miguel.

protagonist

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The Tenerife striker left the pitch accompanied by emotional applause from a crowd that loved him passionately: “Demi” had arrived on the Canary Island in the summer of 2025 and made an immediate impact: six goals in his first six matches, club history rewritten, and a great contribution in the promotion push from the third tier to the Segunda. Tenerife, a once highly noble and heavily fallen club, had returned to professional football thanks in part to the 11 goals scored by this tall, powerful, left-footed and smiling centre-forward.

shattered hope

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The striker was rushed to the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria hospital. He suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and his condition was critical. The initial statement offered a glimmer of hope to cling to: “Stable in a serious condition”, wrote Tenerife on their account. But then at 4 am another message arrived: “Jesus de Miguel’s neurological condition has worsened”. And at 9:30 am came the words no one wanted to read. “Heartbroken with grief, with a lump in our throats and unable to believe that all this is real, from CD Tenerife we announce the tragic death, which occurred this Tuesday, 3 November 2026 at 8:00 am, of Jesus de Miguel Alameda. There are no words of comfort; there is absolutely nothing that can ease this feeling of utter sadness. Our thoughts are with his devastated family, close to the people he loved, and close to the Tenerife fans who are in tears today over this cruel event. The De Miguel family would like to thank everyone for the gestures of support received and at the same time asks, from the heart, for maximum respect for their privacy in these terrible moments”.

wife and daughter present

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His family: his wife Maria and daughter Carla, born in June 2025 when her father was at Castellon and on the verge of moving to Tenerife, were at the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez, the stadium where the tragedy occurred. They were there to watch him play football and witnessed first-hand the tragedy of Jesus, a partner and father who passed away on the morning of a 3 November that will remain forever etched in the memory of Tenerife and CD Tenerife. Humble, hard-working, attentive, affectionate, in love with his profession. These are some of the things said about “Demi” by those who knew him over the years. A native of Madrid and a Leganes academy graduate, the striker had built a good career in the lower rungs of Spanish football, earning several promotions across spells with Fuenlabrada, Internacional, Navalcarnero, Salamanca, Castellon and Tenerife. In the Canaries, Demi had rediscovered his form and his goals, and was building his family. An on-pitch collision brought it all to an end forever.

This article was originally written in Italian by La Gazzetta dello Sport editor. The English version has been generated using AI translation tools. If you notice any translation errors or have suggestions, please contact us at iniziativegazzetta@rcs.it