Jesús de Miguel, a journeyman whose death after an in-game collision stunned Spanish soccer

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Known affectionately as “Demi” to his teammates, few of Spain’s casual soccer fans had heard of Jesús de Miguel until the country was shocked by his death on Tuesday, a day after his heart had stopped following a brutal in-game collision.

Yet De Miguel’s career was like that of most players. He was a journeyman who worked hard to turn a sport into a livelihood, bouncing from club to club in the lower divisions of his home country.

Born in Madrid in 1996, De Miguel got his start with Leganes’ reserves in 2015, and from there the striker moved between clubs in and around Spain’s capital.

His most successful season as a scorer came after he joined Castellón in 2023. His 16 goals were crucial to helping the club earn promotion to the second division.

After a season of struggling to score in the second tier, De Miguel left the peninsula in the summer of 2025 for Tenerife, located on Spain's Canary Islands archipelago.

Back in the third division, he thrived once more, grabbing six goals in the first five games. He went on to score 11 times in all and help the blue-and-white clad team earn promotion.

Left-footed, 1.9 meters (6 feet, two inches) tall, De Miguel was a traditional striker, one used to fighting for balls in the air.

On Monday, De Miguel was charging down the middle of the field at Tenerife’s home stadium in search of the ball after a teammate had booted a long pass in injury time of a 2-2 draw with FC Andorra.

That was when De Miguel was blind-sided by the Andorra goalkeeper rushing out of his area.

De Miguel crashed to the ground, curled onto his knees and flopped over on his back, his arms at his side. He suffered cardiac arrest and passed away the following morning in hospital.

He was 30 and left behind a daughter born last year and her mother.

Former teammate Fernando Román wrote on social media that he was devastated by the death of a friend he defined as “humble, hard-working… above all a good person.”

Román recalled a vacation they went on together, the time they spent with their daughters, the good times they shared at an escape room.

“I can’t believe you are gone,” he wrote. “You can’t imagine how much I am going to miss you. I didn’t consider you a friend. I considered you family.”

Tenerife said Miguel’s body would be transported to Navahermosa, in the Toledo province, at the request of his family, and his teammates and club officials would be present for a “final farewell.”

“We need to give Demi the tribute he deserves,” said Tenerife president Felipe Miñambres. “And from that point on we will always carry him in our hearts.”

See AP’s full soccer coverage here