- During a football match, a player succumbs on the field and tragically passes away a few days afterward.
A few days following a collapse during a Copa Libertadores match in Brazil, Uruguayan footballer Juan Izquierdo tragically passed away at the tender age of 27. Nacional, his club, announced that the medical professionals treating him at Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo diagnosed the cause of death as cardiac arrest. Izquierdo passed away on Tuesday evening (local time) at 21:38.
The center-back appeared to falter and collapse without the ball in the 84th minute of the return leg against São Paulo FC, eventually being carried off unconscious. The hospital reported that he experienced a cardiac arrhythmia.
A sad day for football
Nacional mourned Izquierdo's "irreparable loss" on their X platform post, expressing their sentiment by stating, "Juan, you will always be with us." São Paulo FC also shared their condolences, describing it as a "sad day for football." Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez also extended his sympathies to Izquierdo's club and family, saying, "South American football is grieving."
Izquierdo first stepped into the first division with Club Atlético Cerro back in 2018. He later joined Nacional in 2022, playing 33 games and scoring 2 goals.
He leaves behind his wife Selene and two children, with his second child being born just days prior to his collapse, according to Nacional president Alejandro Balbi.
São Paulo emerged victorious in the match, winning 2:0 and progressing to the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores – South America's equivalent of the Champions League.
Despite the victory in the match, the triumph was overshadowed by the shocking news of Izquierdo's passing, making it an other disappointing outcome for football fans. The football community continues to express its deep sorrow, acknowledging this as yet another other tragic event in the world of sports.
