FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesús Owono is considering retiring from football at the age of 25 after the death of CD Tenerife striker Jesús de Miguel following an on-field collision, people close to the player have said.
The Equatorial Guinea international has been left deeply distressed by the incident, which occurred during a Spanish Segunda División match on November 2. De Miguel sustained serious injuries in the challenge and died in hospital the following day.
Ana Maye, general coordinator of the Equatorial Guinea national team and a long-time confidante of Owono, said the goalkeeper was struggling to cope with feelings of guilt.
“Even though they keep telling him it was an accident, he is deeply sorry and profoundly affected, particularly by De Miguel’s widow and the one-and-a-half-year-old boy he left behind,” Maye said. “He does not know how to deal with all of this.”
Owono earlier released a statement through his club describing the days after the tragedy as the most difficult of his life.
“These are the hardest days of my life. I struggle to find the words and it is very difficult for me to process anything that has happened,” he said. “I feel immense pain over the loss of Jesus. I think of him, of his family, and of all the people who loved him.”
The club has provided psychological support to Owono and shown him accounts from other athletes who experienced similar traumas. No formal decision on his future has been announced.
The collision took place when Owono raced from his goal to clear an aerial ball and made contact with De Miguel. Spanish authorities opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
