A footballer has passed away after collapsing during Nacional’s game against Sao Paulo on August 22, 2024.
27-year-old Nacional defender Juan Izquierdo collapsed on the pitch during a Copa Libertadores match due to an irregular heartbeat and his condition worsened in the following days.
Izquierdo experienced a cardiac arrest after collapsing during Nacional’s game against Sao Paulo late this month. At the time of his death, the Uruguayan athlete was under treatment at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo.
Nacional had said Izquierdo was in stable condition but his health deteriorated afterwards. He was placed on a ventilator on August 25, 2024, and had been under neurological care since August 26, 2024.
Juan Manuel Izquierdo fights for the ball during the Copa Libertadores football match between Uruguay’s Nacional and Bolivia’s Always Ready in Montevideo, on March 14, 2024 | Source: Getty Images
In the match he collapsed in, the defender was a half-time substitute for former Liverpool player Sebastián Coates. Izquierdo collapsed in the 84th minute without any contact with another player.
However, he received immediate medical attention on the field and was quickly taken to an intensive care unit, only to succumb a few days later. Surprisingly, before this incident, Izquierdo had no known history of heart issues.
Juan Manuel Izquierdo (L) fights for the ball with Alan Rodriguez during the Copa Libertadores match between Argentina’s Argentinos Juniors and Uruguay’s Liverpool in Buenos Aires, on June 7, 2023 | Source: Getty Images
A heartbroken and shocked Club Nacional announced the death of their beloved player on X on August 28, 2024. They also wrote, “We express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and loved ones. All of Nacional is in mourning for his irreparable loss.”
A woman pays tribute to late Uruguay’s Nacional football player Juan Manuel Izquierdo at the club’s headquarters in Montevideo, on August 28, 2024. | Source: Getty Images
As per media reports, Izquierdo’s wife, Selena, gave birth to the couple’s second child just over ten days ago. Fans and friends of Izquierdo have sent their condolences to his family and loved ones.
