Tenerife team-mates carry Jesus de Miguel’s casket as family thanks mourners

Jesus de Miguel’s family thanked supporters for their messages and gestures of affection as the Tenerife forward’s funeral took place in Spain on Thursday, BBC Sport reported. The 30-year-old died in hospital on Tuesday after suffering a serious injury during a second-division match against FC Andorra the previous evening.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx2mC5-fAug

The service was held at San Miguel Arcangel in Navahermosa, Toledo, the hometown of De Miguel’s parents, around 125 kilometres from Madrid. His Tenerife team-mates carried his casket before the service. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente attended, alongside Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, Atletico Madrid chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin and former Spain and Real Madrid coach Jose Antonio Camacho.

In a statement delivered by De Miguel’s agent, Manuel Hernandez, the family expressed gratitude for the phone calls, messages and other expressions of support they had received. They said the affection shown towards him, and the impact he had made on others, would remain with them. Their statement also reflected on the memories held by those who had shared his life.

De Miguel had collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during Monday’s match at Tenerife’s Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez. He remained motionless on the field while medical staff treated him before he was taken to hospital, where he died at 07:00 GMT on Tuesday, according to the BBC’s account. Owono was sent off following the challenge, and the match was abandoned.

Tributes have extended beyond Thursday’s funeral. De Miguel joined Tenerife in the summer of 2025, and mourners gathered at the club’s stadium after his death was announced. They placed flowers and candles beneath a black-and-white image of the forward. BBC Sport reported that a minute’s silence was being observed at matches in European competitions this week in his memory.

Owono expressed his grief in a statement released by Andorra on Wednesday, saying his thoughts were with De Miguel, his family and those close to him. Alongside their thanks for the public response, De Miguel’s family requested privacy for themselves and for the people supporting them. They asked for the space and quiet they needed to mourn while acknowledging the concern shown following his death.