SPANISH football on Saturday paid an emotional tribute to Jesus de Miguel as LaLiga returned for the first time since the striker’s tragic death.
Tenerife star De Miguel died aged 30 on Tuesday following an accidental collision during his side’s LaLiga 2 match against Andorra the previous evening.
Spanish football was plunged into a state of mourning following De Miguel’s death.
Both Tenerife and Andorra’s scheduled matches this weekend were postponed, but the rest of the slate has gone ahead.
Earlier on Saturday, Malaga hosted Racing Santander at La Rosaleda.
Ahead of the contest, both sides made sure to pay their respects to De Miguel.
Players from each team walked onto the pitch wearing T-shirts with De Miguel’s No9 on the back, as well as the message “Siempre en nuestro recuerdo” – meaning “Always in our memory” in English.
This poignant message was also broadcast on the big screens, as the packed crowd rose to applaud the sentiment. The match referee carried a wreath of flowers onto the pitch before laying it down onto the centre circle as players lined up for a period of silence.
On TV coverage of the game, a QR code was broadcast directing viewers to a crowdfunding site made to support De Miguel’s family.
The match was stopped in the ninth minute as players, officials and supporters took part in a minute’s applause for De Miguel.
“Always in our memory” again appeared on TV screens, as well as the QR code. Later in the day, Tenerife opened their stadium for fans to pay their own tributes for their late striker.
Supporters filed into the ground in huge numbers, with many leaving flowers and scarves outside in De Miguel’s honour.
A large photo of De Miguel was draped over the stand, with the message “Eterno Demi 9 1996-2026”.
And a replica De Miguel shirt was placed onto the pitch alongside a bouquet of flowers.
All LaLiga fixtures on Saturday followed a similar lead to Malaga vs Racing Santander by paying poignant tributes to De Miguel.
This included Real Madrid’s trip to Valencia, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham among those to wear T-shirts in De Migue’s honour.
De Miguel’s death was deemed to be down to “accidental chest trauma” by a post-mortem.
The late forward had collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during the closing stages of last Monday’s match.
Owono was sent off for his challenge, before the match was abandoned.
The goalkeeper, 25, was left devastated by what happened.
The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) has pledged to support Owono through counselling.
The Athletic report that a source close to a team-mate of the goalkeeper said: “Owono is destroyed, locked in his house and disconnected from the world.
“Right now, he doesn’t even know who he is.”
Tenerife have pledged to support De Miguel’s one-year-old daughter financially until she turns 18.
Club CEO Antonio Manuel Porro Granados told The Athletic: “Our plan is to stand by the girl and make sure the entire Tenerife family supports her. We want to be there for her at least until she reaches adulthood.
“This is a commitment we have made at the initiative of our majority shareholder, Rayco Garcia, and one that we all fully support.
“It is a commitment that Tenerife, as a club, is making to the family and to their daughter, Carla.
“We will provide the maximum possible support in every respect, beyond what we are legally obliged to provide.
“We are also exploring other ways of increasing the financial support, so that, at least in material terms, the circumstances do not affect their lives quite so much — although, of course, it is impossible for them not to have an impact.” —SuperSport
