CD Tenerife Forward José de Miguel Dies After Chest Impact

José de Miguel, a 30-year-old forward for CD Tenerife, died on Tuesday after suffering a cardiac arrest during a match.

De Miguel collapsed after goalkeeper Jesús Owona struck him in the chest. The impact caused the player to stop breathing and his heart to stop beating. Medics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the field and revived him. He was transported to the hospital for emergency specialized care.

The club initially reported that De Miguel remained in the Intensive Care Unit in a stable condition despite the severity of his state. His health deteriorated within hours, and he passed away shortly after arriving at the hospital.

Laura Osuna, a sports traumatologist and head of medical services at Rayo Majadahonda, identified the likely medical cause as commotio cordis. She described the condition as a cardiac concussion caused by a strong impact directly on the heart side of the chest. Osuna noted that such injuries are typically caused by a ball strike rather than a knee or elbow, though other blunt force can trigger it.

Osuna explained that the injury occurs in a very small window of time, specifically in the milliseconds after a heartbeat. The impact causes the heart to fibrillate, meaning it trembles instead of pumping blood. This prevents oxygenated blood from reaching the brain and vital organs. Patients sometimes walk a few steps before collapsing, which can delay diagnosis.

Medical guidelines recommend immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation and rapid access to a defibrillator in such cases. Osuna stated that it is complex to judge the specific protocol used in De Miguel’s case without a full review. She emphasized the importance of speed in treating cardiac arrest.

The exact cause of death has not been officially confirmed yet. An autopsy will determine the precise reason for the death and its relationship to the thoracic trauma De Miguel received on the field.