The death of Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel has prompted tributes across football and a wider call for compassion toward goalkeeper Jesús Owono, who was involved in the collision that preceded his death. The response has focused both on the loss suffered by de Miguel’s family and on the burden the incident may leave with Owono.
A message from Owono
Andorra’s players, staff and supporters are grieving de Miguel’s death after Saturday’s Segunda División match. Owono addressed the tragedy in a message shared through the club’s social media channels, describing the days since the incident as the hardest of his life.
“I struggle to find the words, and it’s hard for me to process what happened,” he wrote. “I feel an immense amount of pain over the loss of Jesús. My thoughts are with him, his family, and everyone who loved him.” Owono said he would face the matters ahead “with the utmost respect,” but that his attention remained on de Miguel and the grief surrounding his death. He closed with: “Rest in peace, Jesús.”
Calls to resist blame
Several prominent figures have urged the football community not to turn the tragedy into a search for a culprit. Jorge Valdano, Argentina’s World Cup winner and a former Real Madrid centre-forward, made that case in his weekly column for El País. Football can absorb wins, defeats and disappointment, he wrote, but death is beyond what the sport knows how to handle.
“Let us not look for someone to blame. In the face of such profound pain, one victim is already too many,” Valdano wrote. The former Tenerife coach described some events as inexplicable and cautioned against putting the tragedy on trial in public.
Former Spain goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares made a similar point on the Spanish television programme Horizonte. He discussed the psychological toll on any player involved in such an incident, including the surviving player, who will have to live with its consequences. Football is a contact sport, he noted.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique also called for support for de Miguel’s family and for Owono. “It is a very distressing situation for everyone,” he said. The family of the player who died, he added, deserves particular care, while people should also consider what Owono and his family are enduring.
Tenerife’s public memorial
De Miguel was 30 and had become a favourite at Tenerife after scoring 11 goals in his first season, when the club secured promotion to Spain’s second tier. In the days following his death, hundreds of people gathered outside the Heliodoro Rodríguez López Stadium to leave flowers, light candles and pay tribute.
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 04: A man stands next to flowers and candles at a makeshift memorial in tribute to Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel outside Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez on November 04, 2026 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel died on Tuesday at the age of 30, of cardiac arrest following a collision during a match against Andorra. (Photo by Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
Poli Suárez, the Canary Islands’ minister for education and sport, told Marca that Tenerife was “in a state of complete mourning.” He said the community’s thoughts were with de Miguel’s wife, daughter and wider family.
Tributes across Europe
The response extended beyond Spain. Arsenal’s squad stopped training for a minute’s silence, with the player’s image displayed on a stadium screen. At the Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid, players wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence.
Spanish police have begun a routine procedure required after a death from unnatural causes, while football authorities and the judiciary are examining the incident and related circumstances. Copa del Rey and Copa de la Reina matches were postponed. Owono has been given leave from club duties as the investigations continue.
For Tenerife, the flowers and candles outside its stadium give public shape to a loss that has reached clubs and supporters far beyond the Canary Islands. The immediate challenge for football is to remember de Miguel while allowing those affected by the collision space to grieve.