Uruguayan Defender Juan Izquierdo Dies After Collapsing During a Game

Player suffered arrhythmia in a match in São Paulo for the Libertadores

Uruguayan player Juan Izquierdo, 27, from Nacional of Uruguay, died this Tuesday (27) in São Paulo.

He felt unwell, with a cardiac arrhythmia, on Thursday (22) during a match between São Paulo and Nacional for the Libertadores, at Morumbi stadium.

(FILES) Nacional's defender Juan Manuel Izquierdo receives medical attention after collapsing onto the ground during the Copa Libertadores round of 16 second leg football match between Brazil's Sao Paulo and Uruguay's Nacional at the MorumBIS stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 22, 2024. Uruguay's Nacional player Juan Izquierdo, who suffered a heart attack five days ago in the middle of a Copa Libertadores match against Brazil's Sao Paulo, died on August 27 in Brazil, the Uruguayan club announced. (Photo by Nelson ALMEIDA / AFP) -

Izquierdo was married and leaves behind two children: a two-year-old girl and a newborn.

The athlete was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Albert Einstein hospital, where he was taken by ambulance directly from the stadium.

In a statement, Nacional lamented the death. "With the deepest sorrow and impact in our hearts, Club Nacional de Football announces the death of our dear player Juan Izquierdo. We express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and relatives. All of Nacional is in mourning for the irreparable loss."

São Paulo also paid tribute: "We spent days of prayers, unity, and hope, and we are in deep sadness with the news."

Izquierdo felt unwell in the second half of the match against the São Paulo team in the round of 16 of the continental tournament, when he collapsed alone on the field.