Uruguayan footballer Juan Izquierdo dies at 27 after collapsing during match

A 27-year-old Uruguayan footballer, Juan Izquierdo, has died five days after collapsing during a Copa Libertadores match in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

A 27-year-old Uruguayan footballer, Juan Izquierdo, has died five days after collapsing during a Copa Libertadores match in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as reported by Sky News.

Izquierdo, who played for Club Nacional, suffered a cardiac arrest during the game on Thursday. The club announced his death on social media platform X, expressing their grief over the "irreplaceable loss."

"It is with deepest pain and shock in our hearts that Club Nacional de Football announces the passing of our beloved player Juan Izquierdo," the club posted.

He passed away on Tuesday at Sao Paulo's Hospital Albert Einstein, where doctors reported "cardiorespiratory arrest associated with his cardiac arrhythmia." Izquierdo was under neurological critical care and on a ventilator due to a "progression of his brain damage and an increase of intracranial pressure."

Izquierdo was in his second stint with Nacional, having played a key role in securing their first league title in over a century in 2023.

Alejandro Dominguez, president of CONMEBOL, the governing body for South American football, said the football community across the continent is in mourning. Sao Paulo, Izquierdo's opponents in the match, also expressed their sorrow on social media, calling it a "sad day for football."

News.Az