Juan Izquierdo has died at the age of 27, his Uruguayan club and the South American Football Confederation announced, days after collapsing during a match in Brazil.
Club Nacional said in a statement on social media that Izquierdo’s death “caused deep pain and shocked our hearts” and that “the whole of Nacional mourns his irreplaceable loss.”
The South American Football Confederation also released a tribute to him, days after he collapsed on the pitch and was taken to hospital, before the team said his condition was “stable.”
Izquierdo collapsed during a Copa Libertadores football match at the Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo last Thursday and was admitted to the Albert Einstein Hospital.
In a statement late Tuesday, the hospital said Izquierdo went into “cardiac arrest following an irregular heartbeat.”
Doctors at the hospital said in a statement on Monday that Izquierdo had increased intracranial pressure. He had been on a ventilator since Sunday and in intensive neurological care since Monday.
Uruguayan media reported that Izquierdo’s parents and Nacional officials were hospitalized in a São Paulo hospital.
Izquierdo is married and has two children, the youngest of whom was born in early August, a boy. Concerns over Izquierdo’s health led to the postponement of
matches in Uruguay’s first and second divisions over the weekend. São Paulo players wore uniforms in support of Uruguayan footballers ahead of their 2-1 win over Vitória in the Brazilian league on Sunday.
Izquierdo’s professional career began in 2018 with hometown club Cerro. The following year he moved to Peñarol but did not get much playing time. The defender then moved to Montevideo Wanderers.
His athletic form and sharp tackling attracted the attention of Mexican club San Luis in 2021, but he soon returned to Montevideo Wanderers.
Izquierdo signed with Nacional in 2022, appearing in one game before moving to his hometown club Liverpool.
The defender was one of Liverpool’s best players in the season that led the team to their first Uruguayan league title in over 100 years in 2023.
Izquierdo returned to Nacional this year and competed with the experienced Sebastian Cortes, who played for Uruguay, for a place in the starting eleven. He has made 23 appearances this year, scoring one goal.