Uruguayan player Juan Izquierdo has died, only days after collapsing on the field during a Copa Libertadores game. Izquierdo was 27 years old and leaves behind a wife and two children, one of them less than weeks old.
Last Thursday, August 22nd, Nacional and São Paulo FC were playing a Copa Libertadores game. In the 84th minute, Izquierdo fell to the ground unconscious without coming into contact with another player. He was taken off the pitch in an ambulance and had been in the ICU since then.
The Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement that the Nacional defender died at 9:38 pm local time, with the statement referring to “brain death following cardiorespiratory arrest associated with cardiac arrhythmia.”
“It is with the deepest sorrow and shock in our hearts that the Club Nacional announces the death of our beloved player Juan Izquierdo,” Nacional wrote on X. “We express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones “All of Nacional is in mourning for his irreparable loss. RIP, Juan, you will always be with us.”
Izquierdo’s wife, Selena, posted a message on the player’s Instagram account that partly read: “Today I had to say goodbye to my better half, the love of my life. For many, Juan Izquierdo, for me, Juanma, my best friend, my husband, the father of my children, my unconditional friend. Today, part of me dies with you. You were a great person, noble, loving, without malice. “You were an angel on this earth and you will be an angel in heaven.”
She also posted a picture of a shared tattoo the two had, that read: “I don’t love you with my heart because the heart stops. “I love you with my soul, because the soul is eternal.”
The Uruguayan Futbol Federation said in a statement: “We regret with deep pain and sadness the death of the footballer of @Nacional, Juan Izquierdo. Our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues at this very difficult time. RIP”
Izquierdo’s career included time at Cerro, Peñarol, Wanderers, and Liverpool in Uruguay. He also played for Liga MX’s San Luis.