Juan Izquierdo: Uruguayan footballer dies aged 27 a week after collapsing on pitch

Uruguayan football is mourning after the player’s passing, following his collapse in the Copa Liberatadores match against Sao Paulo, with Club Nacional confirming the news ‘with the deepest sorrow and shock’

Gabriel Araujo,Angelica Medina
Wednesday 28 August 2024 08:50
Nacional’s defender Juan Manuel Izquierdo receives medical attention after fainting during the Copa Libertadores round of 16
Nacional’s defender Juan Manuel Izquierdo receives medical attention after fainting during the Copa Libertadores round of 16 (AFP via Getty Images)

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Louise Thomas

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South American football was in mourning on Tuesday following the death of Uruguayan defender Juan Izquierdo, who collapsed on the pitch after suffering an irregular heartbeat during a Copa Libertadores game last week.

The 27-year-old had been undergoing medical treatment since collapsing during Nacional's game against Brazilian side Sao Paulo on 22 August.

Izquierdo fell to the ground unconscious in the 84th minute without coming into contact with another player. He was taken off the pitch in an ambulance before being treated at the intensive care unit of Albert Einstein Hospital.

The hospital said in a statement Izquierdo had died as a result of brain death following a cardiopulmonary 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,” Uruguay’s 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.”

The Uruguayan Football Association said the news was deeply painful, while the national governing bodies of Argentina, Peru, Paraguay and Colombia extended their condolences to Izquierdo's family and friends.

Nacional's defender Juan Manuel Izquierdo (L) fights for the ball during the Copa Libertadores third round
Nacional's defender Juan Manuel Izquierdo (L) fights for the ball during the Copa Libertadores third round (AFP via Getty Images)

“South American football is in mourning,” said Alejandro Dominguez, the president of South American soccer's governing body Conmebol.

Brazilian Football Federation President Ednaldo Rodrigues said a minute's silence would be observed in every match organised by the federation on Wednesday.

Sao Paulo said they were deeply saddened by the news, calling it a “sad day for football”.

Nacional's defender Juan Manuel Izquierdo (C) and Always Ready's Brazilian forward Wesley Tanque fight for the ball
Nacional's defender Juan Manuel Izquierdo (C) and Always Ready's Brazilian forward Wesley Tanque fight for the ball (AFP via Getty Images)

Reuters

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