Tenerife honours late striker Jesus De Miguel with emotional tribute
Thousands of supporters, teammates, and football figures gathered at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez in Santa Cruz de Tenerife on Saturday to honour striker Jesus de Miguel. The 30-year-old forward died after colliding with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a match on Monday, subsequently suffering a cardiac arrest. Although he was transported to intensive care, Tenerife confirmed his passing on Tuesday morning.
The 90-minute memorial on the pitch featured a stage set beneath a massive black-and-white banner reading "Forever Demi," honouring the nickname used by his close friends. Following video highlights of his club debut, emotional fans chanted "De Miguel, we love you." Alongside his grieving teammates were delegates from clubs across Spain's top two divisions, including Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno, as speeches by directors preceded a religious service.
Tenerife captain Enric Gallego delivered a tearful speech, expressing how difficult it remains to accept that their teammate is gone. Gallego stated that speaking of De Miguel in the past tense felt tremendously unfair, promising that he will always remain one of them. To commemorate the late forward, matches across all Spanish divisions observed a minute of silence throughout the weekend.
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