Uruguayan football player dies days after collapsing during a game

Uruguayan football is in mourning. 27-year-old player Juan Izquierdo died Tuesday (Aug. 27) at a hospital in Brazil five days after collapsing during a game.

On social media, his club Nacional, and former clubs expressed their “deep pain” and extended their sympathies to Izquierdo's family.

Sao Paulo's Hospital Albert Einstein said in a statement that he passed away following “cardiorespiratory arrest associated with his cardiac arrhythmia.”

The player was hospitalized last Thursday (Aug. 22) after he collapsed before fulltime in a Copa Libertadores match in Sao Paulo.

Copa Libertadores is the equivalent of the Champion's League.

Consequently, Uruguay’s first- and second-division football leagues were postponed last weekend.

The career of the defender began in 2018 at local club Cerro.

His athletic form and sharp tackles caught the attention of Mexico’s San Luís in 2021, but he quickly returned home.

Izquierdo was one of local Liverpool’s best players in the historic campaign that led the team to a Uruguayan league title in 2023.

He was married and had two children.