Footballer Juan Izquierdo dies tragically after collapsing on the pitch

Tragedy in South American football as Uruguayan defender Juan Izquierdo has passed away after collapsing on the pitch at the Morumbi stadium on 22 August. The news was announced by his club, Club Nacional.

The 27-year-old collapsed in the 84th minute of Club Nacional's Copa Libertadores last 16 match against Sao Paulo, after coming on as a halftime substitute in the second leg.

Izquierdo was taken to Hospital Albert Einstein, where doctors rushed to put the player, husband, and father of two in a 'stable condition.'

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According to the Daily Mail, doctors at the hospital released a statement that said Izquierdo was experiencing increased intracranial pressure. He was put on a ventilator on the 25th of August and placed under neurological critical care on the 26th.

The hospital confirmed his cause of death was "cardiorespiratory arrest associated with his cardiac arrhythmia." Tributes have poured in to express their deepest condolences.

Nacional wrote on X: "It is with the deepest sorrow and shock in our hearts that the Club Nacional announces the death of our beloved player Juan Izquierdo."

"We express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones. All of Nacional is in mourning for his irreparable loss."

Alejandro Domínguez, the president of South American football's governing body, said: "South American football is in mourning."

Uruguay's first and second division postponed their games because of concerns over Izquierdo's health. Sao Paulo players wore shirts in support of the Uruguayan player before their 2-1 victory over Vitoria.

The Uruguayan player began his career in 2018 with local club Cerro before joining Peñarol the following year. The defender then moved to Montevideo Wanderers.

The Guardian reports Izquierdo moved to Club Nacional in 2022, playing one match, and then transferred to the local Liverpool club. He helped lead the club to their first Uruguayan league title in more than a century in 2023.

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The defender returned to Nacional at the start of the year and was vying for a spot next to former Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates. He played 23 games and scored one goal.