Uruguayan Footballer Juan Izquierdo Dies at 27 After On-Field Collapse
Uruguayan footballer Juan Izquierdo has passed away at the age of 27 after collapsing during a Copa Libertadores match against São Paulo at the Estadio do Morumbi on August 22, The NYT’s Athletic reports.
The defender had been battling an irregular heartbeat and was undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit of a hospital in São Paulo after the fall, according to the report.
Club Nacional de Football, Izquierdo’s team, confirmed his death in a heartfelt statement on social media.
“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 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 club wrote.
Izquierdo was introduced as a substitute at halftime during the second leg of Nacional’s last-16 tie in the Copa Libertadores match. He collapsed on the pitch late in the game and was subsequently transported to Albert Einstein Hospital, where he received neurological care in the ICU.
In light of this tragedy, all matches in the Uruguayan Premier Division were postponed over the past weekend.
Born in Montevideo, Izquierdo began his professional football career with Cerro and later played for clubs including Peñarol, Montevideo Wanderers, and Atlético San Luis. He joined Nacional in 2022, moved to Liverpool in 2023, where he secured the 2023 Uruguayan Premier Division title, and rejoined Nacional in January 2024.
