Battiston recalls 1982 World Cup collision after de Miguel's death

Former France defender Battiston, who survived a collision with Schumacher in the 1982 World Cup semifinal, reflects on the death of Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel after a similar on-pitch incident.

Patrick Battiston, the 69-year-old former France international, has spoken about the death of Tenerife forward Jesús de Miguel, who died yesterday following a collision with Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono. The incident brought back memories of Battiston's own near-fatal clash with German goalkeeper Harald Schumacher during the 1982 World Cup semifinal in Seville.

In an interview with L'Equipe, Battiston expressed his shock at de Miguel's death: "I was walking when I found out and couldn't stop thinking about it. When I got home I wanted to see what happened, but I didn't really see much of the footage. From what little I saw, it was horrible. It's something hard and violent. It moved me and impacted me deeply. Especially seeing his teammates and opponents with their heads in their hands. What happened is terrible."

Battiston recalled that after his own collision on 8 July 1982, the French team doctor Maurice Vrillac believed he was dead. Though he survived, Battiston suffered injuries that were not immediately apparent due to the lack of modern medical imaging at the time. "I've suffered some aftereffects," he said.