Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel died on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, after suffering head and chest injuries during a Spanish second-division match the previous day. De Miguel, 30, was hospitalized following a collision during a game against FC Andorra. The Spanish football federation responded to the event by announcing the postponement of Spanish Cup fixtures scheduled for Tuesday.
The incident occurred during injury time on Monday, Nov. 2, while the score was tied 2-2. De Miguel was pursuing a long pass when he was struck by FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who had rushed out of his penalty area. Owono was sent off with a red card following the challenge. De Miguel collapsed immediately and, according to reports from Spanish media including Marca, suffered a cardiac arrest while in the ambulance. Paramedics performed resuscitation while transporting him to the hospital.
De Miguel was a striker who played primarily in Spain's lower divisions. Born in Madrid in 1996, he began his career with the Leganes reserves in 2015 before playing for various clubs near the Spanish capital. He scored 16 goals for Castellón in 2023 to help them reach the second division. After moving to Tenerife in the Canary Islands in 2025, he scored 11 goals to assist the team in earning promotion. De Miguel is survived by his partner and a daughter born in 2025.
On a broader scale, the incident involves a death in a high-visibility industry, which has prompted an investigation by Spanish police. For the players and officials on the field during the collision, as well as the fans in the stadium, the event marks a rare instance of a fatal injury occurring during a televised sporting event. The legal and disciplinary repercussions for goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who received a red card for the challenge, may be influenced by the ongoing police investigation into the circumstances of the collision.
The event sets a precedent for how the Spanish football federation handles on-field fatalities, specifically regarding the suspension of national competitions. Following the transport of De Miguel’s body to his family’s requested location in Navahermosa, the league must determine when postponed Spanish Cup fixtures will be rescheduled. No specific dates for the rescheduled matches or the conclusion of the police investigation were reported. Additionally, Tenerife president Felipe Miñambres stated the club intends to organize a formal tribute for De Miguel, though the timing of this event remains unannounced.