2024-09-05 21:50:29
The 27-year-old footballer was taking part in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 match against Sao Paulo, when he suffered an arrhythmia that led to cardiac arrest,
South American football is in mourning, after Nacional de Uruguay confirmed the death of its player Juan Izquierdo, who fainted last Thursday in the middle of a Copa Libertadores match in Brazil.
The 27-year-old footballer was part of the round of 16 match against Sao Paulo, when he suffered an arrhythmia that led to cardiac arrest, for which he was rushed to the Albert Einstein Hospital, where he was hospitalized in serious condition.
“It is with deepest pain and shock in our hearts that Club Nacional de Football announces the passing of our beloved player Juan Izquierdo. We express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and loved ones. All of Nacional is mourning his irreparable loss. RIP. Juan, you will be with us forever,” the Uruguayan team said on its social media.
His partner, with whom he had recently become parents for the second time, and his family arrived at the hospital to spend the last moments with the footballer.
Izquierdo was initially diagnosed with a “critical neurological condition,” which worsened over time and caused brain damage and increased intracranial pressure, so the last medical report already indicated an irreversible situation.
Who was Juan Izquierdo?
Juan Manuel Izquierdo Viana was born in the Nuevo París neighborhood, Montevideo, on July 4, 1997, and was the father of two children.
He made his debut in 2018 at CA Cerro, having stints at Peñarol, Montevideo Wanderers, San Luis de México and Liverpool FC where he won the Super Cup and the 2023 Uruguayan Championship.
Izquierdo had two stints at Nacional, the first was in 2022, becoming champion of the Clausura and the Uruguayan championship, being a teammate of Luis Suárez, and returned in the current 2024 season, winning the Intermediate Tournament.