Spanish police have opened an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter after Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel died following a collision with the Andorra goalkeeper during a second-division match.
Spain's National Police announced the inquiry on Tuesday and said prosecutors will also take part.
De Miguel, 30, died at 8 a.m. Tuesday, less than a day after he was hurt. He had suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and never regained consciousness, according to his club.
There are no words of comfort; there is absolutely nothing that can lessen this overwhelming sadness.
CD Tenerife
A collision at the centre circle
The collision came in the 96th minute of Monday's match on Tenerife, with the score tied 2-2. A long ball was played upfield, De Miguel chased it, and goalkeeper Jesús Owono came far out of his goal, leaping forward into the forward inside the centre circle.
Owono was shown a straight red card. Players from both teams called for medical help as De Miguel lay unconscious, and referee Manuel Ángel Pérez Hernández formally abandoned the game in the 108th minute.
Medics restored De Miguel's pulse in the ambulance and took him to a hospital in Santa Cruz. The club initially said he was breathing on his own but remained unconscious and critical; early Tuesday it reported that his condition had worsened neurologically.
The match itself had already been pushed back 24 hours because of the threat of torrential rain on the island.
Owono had started to leave the field after his dismissal but turned back to join players rushing to check on De Miguel. The goalkeeper, who had more than 30,000 Instagram followers, has since deactivated his account.
Football pauses in Spain
The Spanish football federation postponed the Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina games scheduled for Tuesday. Real Madrid's players held a minute of silence during training, and Espanyol delayed the presentation of its new coach.
Today, we all share the terrible pain of an irreparable loss.
Javier Tebas, president of La Liga
Andorra, whose co-owner is former Barcelona defender Gerard Piqué, sent condolences to De Miguel's family, teammates and Tenerife, as did La Liga and clubs including Barcelona and Real Madrid.
A lower-league career
Born in Madrid, De Miguel debuted professionally with Leganés B in 2015 and spent most of his career in Spain's lower divisions. He was Castellón's top scorer when the club won promotion to the second division in 2024, then joined Tenerife on a three-year deal in 2025, scoring 11 goals in 29 appearances.
He is survived by a daughter born in 2025.
Life-threatening collisions in football are extremely rare. Last year, 19-year-old Colindres goalkeeper Raúl Ramírez died from head injuries suffered in a fifth-division match in Spain, and in 2001 Ukrainian goalkeeper Serhiy Perkhun died after a collision while playing for CSKA Moscow.
