Jesus de Miguel's tragic final farewell as family make heartbreaking statement

Spanish striker Jesus de Miguel, 30, died Tuesday after a collision with goalkeeper Jesus Owono during Tenerife's match against FC Andorra; post-mortem confirmed accidental thoracic trauma.

Jesus de Miguel, a 30-year-old striker for Tenerife, died on Tuesday morning following a devastating collision during Monday night's Spanish second-division match against FC Andorra. In the 97th minute, De Miguel raced towards the ball as Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono rushed out to clear it. Owono struck De Miguel heavily in the chest, and the striker received immediate medical attention on the pitch before suffering cardiac arrest. He was rushed to Hospital Universitario de Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, where he was initially stabilised but his condition deteriorated overnight and he died around 8am Tuesday.

A preliminary post-mortem examination confirmed "accidental thoracic trauma" as the cause of death. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that De Miguel's girlfriend Maria and their young daughter Carla, just over a year old, were at the stadium when the collision occurred. His father was watching the match on television at his bar in Navahermosa when the incident happened.

Hundreds of mourners, including Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, Spain national team coach Luis de la Fuente, and Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin, gathered in De Miguel's home village of Navahermosa on Thursday for his funeral.