During a match in Brazil, central defender Juan Izquierdo collapses and is taken to hospital unconscious. The doctors are unable to help the 27-year-old.
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- Uruguayan footballer Juan Izquierdo dies at the age of 27.
- A few days earlier, he collapsed during a Copa Libertadores match in Brazil and was immediately taken to hospital.
- The grief is immense. Several star footballers and rival clubs expressed their condolences and wished the family a lot of strength.
- Izquierdo leaves behind his wife Selene and two children - the second was born just a few days before Izquierdo's collapse, according to Nacional president Alejandro Balbi.
A few days after collapsing during a Copa Libertadores match in Brazil, Uruguayan footballer Juan Izquierdo has died at the age of just 27. The cause of death was cardiovascular arrest, his club Nacional announced, citing the doctors treating him at the Albert Einstein Hospital in the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo. Izquierdo died on Tuesday evening (local time) at 9.38 p.m., according to a hospital statement.
The central defender fell over in the 84th minute of the second leg of the round of 16 tie against São Paulo FC last Thursday. He fainted and had to be taken off the pitch in an ambulance. According to the hospital, a cardiac arrhythmia was diagnosed.
A sad day for football
Izquierdo's death was an "irreplaceable loss" for his club, according to a post on the platform X. "Juan, you will always be with us." São Paulo FC also announced that it was a sad day for football. The president of the South American football association Conmebol, Alejandro Domínguez, expressed his condolences to Izquierdo's family and club. "South American football is in mourning."
"Pain, sadness, difficult to explain," wrote star striker Luis Suárez in his Instagram story, wishing Izquierdo's loved ones strength. "How sad", wrote Uruguay football icon Diego Forlán on X. Condolences also came from neighboring Argentina. The Argentine Football Association (AFA) deeply regretted Izquierdo's death, it said in an X post, "here is our embrace." The traditional club Boca Juniors expressed its condolences to "his family, his loved ones and the entire Nacional family".
Recently became a father for the second time
Izquierdo made his first league debut for Club Atlético Cerro in 2018. He played for Nacional with one interruption since 2022, during which time he played 33 games and scored two goals.
He is survived by his wife Selene and two children - the second was born just a few days before Izquierdo's collapse, according to Nacional president Alejandro Balbi.
São Paulo won the game 2:0 last Thursday and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores. The South American tournament is comparable to the Champions League in Europe.
