The South American football community was in mourning Uruguayan star Juan Izquierdo died late Tuesday at a hospital in Brazil, five days after collapsing during a match at Sao Paulo.
The 27-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest during the Copa Libertadores game against Sao Paulo on August 22. Izquierdo collapsed to the ground unconscious in the 84th minute without coming into contact with another player. He was then taken off the pitch in an ambulance to the intensive care unit of Albert Einstein Hospital where he was receiving treatment.
The hospital in a statement said Izquierdo had died as a result of brain death following a cardiopulmonary arrest associated with cardiac arrhythmia.
Juan Izquierdo is survived by his parents, wife, and two-year-old daughter.
“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 shared the news on X.
Uruguay suspended all football activity last weekend due to concerns over Izquierdo’s health. The Association for the Rights of Professional Footballers in Uruguay released a statement regarding the decision, stating the move was taken for the safety of each player’s health in the wake of the incident.
Ednaldo Rodrigues, President of Brazilian Football Federation, said a minute’s silence would be observed in every match organized by the federation on Wednesday.
The Uruguayan Football Association said the news was deeply painful, while the national football governing bodies of Argentina, Peru, Paraguay and Colombia extended their condolences to Izquierdo’s family and friends.
“South American football is in mourning,” stated Alejandro Dominguez, the president of South American soccer’s governing body CONMEBOL.
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Juan Izquierdo made over 100 appearances in Uruguayan Primera División for Cerro, Peñarol, Montevideo Wanderers, Liverpool and Nacional, winning the league in 2022 and 2023 for the last two clubs, respectively. He also briefly featured in Mexico’s Liga MX for Atlético San Luis in 2021.
