Tenerife honour teammate Jesus De Miguel with tearful tribute

T​housands of mourners gathered at Tenerife's stadium on Saturday ​to bid farewell to striker Jesus de Miguel, with captain Enric Gallego struggling through tears to honour a teammate who died ​aged 30 ‌after suffering a cardiac arrest following ⁠a collision during a match.

Read more Spanish footballer Jesus de Miguel dies after on-pitch collision with goalkeeper

De Miguel collided with Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono on ‌Monday and was taken to intensive care. Spanish second-division ⁠club Tenerife confirmed his death on Tuesday morning.

A huge banner bearing his black-and-white photograph and the words "Forever ​Demi" hung behind a stage in the ‌centre of the pitch at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez.

After a video featuring footage of his Tenerife debut, supporters chanted: "De Miguel, ‌we love you".

Players sat alongside representatives from every club in Spain's top two ​divisions, including Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno, as tears flowed in the stands.

"To speak of you in the past tense ​is tremendously unfair," Gallego said, pausing repeatedly during his ​speech.

"It's still hard to believe that this ​has happened to us, Demi; you'll always be one of us."

Demi was the ​nickname used by De Miguel's friends.

"We're still struggling to come to terms with the fact that you won't be with us again," Gallego added.

Speeches by club directors were followed by ⁠a religious service during the 90-minute tribute in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Matches ⁠across Spain's ​divisions over the weekend observed a minute's silence in De Miguel's honour.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)