Sevilla midfielder Puerta dies | Soccer | The Guardian

The Sevilla and Spain wing-back Antonio Puerta has died aged 22 after collapsing during his side’s match against Getafe on Saturday.

Puerta collapsed after jogging back towards his own goal 35 minutes into the opening league game of the season at the Sánchez Pizjuán on Saturday. Team-mates and medical staff rushed to his side and were seen preventing him from swallowing his tongue as he lost consciousness.

Puerta, who had passed a medical with his club three weeks ago, was able to walk from the pitch after being attended to by medical staff on Saturday, but then collapsed again in the changing rooms and was given cardiac resuscitation.

Doctors at the Virgen del Rocio hospital in Seville confirmed his death. “We regret to report that the patient Antonio Puerta died at [1230 GMT] today,” read a hospital statement. “The death was caused by postanoxic encephalopathy and a multiple failure of his organs caused by the prolonged cardiac arrest that provoked his admission to hospital.” Puerta’s body will now be taken to the Sánchez Pizjuán, where fans will be able to pay their respects before he is buried on Thursday.

The Spanish Football League issued its condolences to Puerta’s family and Sevilla’s supporters in a statement. “The LFP has asked all their fans to respect a one-minute silence before each game of the second round of the Primera Liga,” it read. Sevilla’s city rivals Real Betis also issued a statement, in which the Betis owner Manuel Ruiz de Lopera said: “This is a blow to the whole of Seville. Our thoughts are with Sevilla, with the player’s family and with the player, who I am sure will be in heaven.”

Sevilla’s Champions League qualifying second leg against AEK Athens, which was due to be played tonight, has been cancelled and will be played next Monday. The Sevilla squad is currently flying back to Spain from Greece. “Uefa, after a joint request by AEK and the Sevilla team, has decided to postpone the game because of the death of Antonio Puerta and the tragic events from the fires in Greece,” confirmed AEK.

Milan, Sevilla’s scheduled opponents in Friday’s European Super Cup, have offered to postpone or cancel the match. “AC Milan … grieve at the passing of Antonio Puerta and share the pain of our friends at Sevilla and the player’s family,” said the club in a statement. “Milan are ready to stand by any decision adopted by Uefa about the playing or not of the European Super Cup.”

Puerta, whose girlfriend is pregnant, had been a member of the Sevilla first team for three seasons and spent 14 years in total with the club he joined as a boy.