Spanish footballer Antonio Puerta died in hospital three days after collapsing on the pitch during a Primera Liga match on Saturday.
The 22-year-old was in intensive care after suffering a heart attack while playing for his club Sevilla.
Puerta was considered a rising star in Spanish football and had previously played one match for his country.
“He was a magnificent footballer and he had a great sporting future,” former Sevilla coach Joaquin Caparros, now of Athletic Bilbao, told Radio Marca.
Dramatic images of Puerta’s collapse were broadcast across the country and her plight, with daily medical updates, dominated news cycles.
A 24-hour fan vigil was held at the Virgen del Rocio Hospital and a constant stream of visitors from the football world came to see it.
City rivals Real Betis were among the first to arrive, with other visitors including former teammates Sergio Ramos of Real Madrid and Jose Antonio Reyes of Atletico.
Thousands of email messages of support were sent to the club, many of which were published on the club’s website.
Sevilla have always had a prickly relationship with Betis, which makes the words of their eccentric majority shareholder Manuel Ruiz de Lopera all the more touching.
“It was a big blow for all of Sevilla, and completely unexpected,” Lopera told Radio Marca. “It is important to see that rivalry counts for nothing and that we are all in this together,” he said.
“My thoughts are with him, his family and Sevilla. Betis will always be with Sevilla.”
-ABC/Reuters
