‘In moments of pain, football comes together’: Spain says goodbye to Jesús de Miguel

Only 3,587 people live in his family’s village but the streets of Navahermosa were fuller yet quieter to mourn the Tenerife striker at his funeral

The narrow streets of Navahermosa in La Mancha were fuller than they have ever been on Thursday afternoon and quieter too. Silence accompanied the funeral cortege as its made way from the funeral home to the parish church of San Miguel Arcángel carrying Jesús de Miguel Alameda, “Demi”, the Tenerife striker who died after an on-field collision with the Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono three days earlier. Only 3,587 people live in his family’s village but now they were joined by the game he loved. “We wanted to be close to his parents, his wife and daughter. In moments of pain, football comes together more than ever,” said Luis de la Fuente.

The Spain manager did not say much else; there was not much else he could say, not much anyone could. These have been dark, desperate days, days when it was impossible to assimilate what has happened, and there will be more. “We will get through this together but we will need help, professional help,” the Tenerife president, Felipe Miñambres, said. The club’s majority shareholder, Rayco García, had cried as they left the building where De Miguel’s body had laid in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and he asked his teammates to be close to his widow Maria, when he had vowed they would for ever take care of his daughter, Clara.

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