Football is supposed to end with a final whistle, handshakes, and a journey home. For the men on this list, it did not. Some collapsed without contact. Some never got up from a challenge. One was struck by lightning in the rain. All of them were professional footballers, and all of them died because of something that happened around a match.

This list starts with the one that has just shaken Spanish football, and works backwards. It is not written to shock, and it is not a celebration of toughness. If anything, it is the opposite: a reminder that no result, no comeback, no win is worth a life, and that the people who play this game deserve care, proper screening, working defibrillators, and officials who stop a match when the weather or the contact turns dangerous.

1. Jesus de Miguel, 30, CD Tenerife

Jesus de Miguel died on 3 November 2026, a day after a collision in stoppage time against FC Andorra. Chasing a long ball, he collided with goalkeeper Jesus Owono, whose knee struck him in the chest. He suffered a cardiac arrest, was taken to intensive care, and never regained consciousness. The match was abandoned at 2-2. Police opened a routine investigation, as happens with a non-natural death, and prosecutors said a criminal case was very unlikely, because the impact happened in play.

2. Quevin Castro, 25, Real Sport Clube

Quevin Castro collapsed in the 10th minute of a pre-season friendly against Estrela da Amadora on 22 August 2026. He was treated on the pitch, taken to hospital, and died the same day. No specific medical cause was publicly shared. He had only just signed for Real Sport Clube that summer, after spells in England with West Bromwich Albion, Burton Albion, and Notts County.

3. Chinedu Ozor, 27, Katsina United

Chinedu Ozor collapsed about nine minutes into a pre-season friendly against Niger Tornadoes on 11 August 2026, with no contact reported. He was taken to hospital in Katsina and pronounced dead. His club later had to deny false reports that he had regained consciousness. No official cause was established. He had just joined Katsina United from Kano Pillars.

4. Sofwan Awae, 24, Yala FC

Sofwan Awae had just signed for Thai League 3 side Yala FC when lightning struck the pitch during a cup semi-final on 4 August 2026, while he was playing for SAMCOLTS against Abu x Nong Sirin in heavy rain. He died in hospital the same day. Nine to twelve other people were injured. Matches in lightning are not brave. They are dangerous, and they should be stopped.

5. Youssou Diouf, 25, AS Saloum

Youssou Diouf came on in about the 80th minute against Amitie FC on 22 February 2026, in Senegal’s Ligue 2. He felt unwell just after the final whistle and died the same day. His death is reported as a cardiac arrest, with no autopsy-confirmed cause. He was on his debut for the club.

6. Dias Tuleu, 19, FC Khan-Tengri

Dias Tuleu felt unwell during a Kazakhstan First League match against Ekibastuz on 16 October 2025, was substituted off, and died the same day. His federation confirmed his death. No cause was publicly disclosed.

7. Fadiouf Ndiaye, 28, US Ouakam

US Ouakam captain Fadiouf Ndiaye collapsed just before half-time against Oslo FA on 17 May 2025, after a heavy collision. He was pronounced dead on the way to hospital. His death is reported as a cardiac arrest, with no official cause resolved.

8. Sinamandla Zondi, 22, Durban City

Sinamandla Zondi collapsed in the warm-up before a South African National First Division match against Milford FC on 22 April 2025, and died in hospital. The match was abandoned at half-time. His case is included here because he was a professional player who died on a matchday, even though the collapse came before kick-off, not during play.

9. Juan Izquierdo, 27, Club Nacional

Juan Izquierdo collapsed in the 84th minute of a Copa Libertadores match against Sao Paulo on 22 August 2024, off the ball. He died five days later, on 27 August 2024, in hospital in Sao Paulo, from a cardiorespiratory arrest linked to a cardiac arrhythmia. He was a Uruguayan international defender, and his death led to tributes across South American football.

10. Ahmed Refaat, 31, Modern Future

Ahmed Refaat collapsed in the 88th minute against Al-Ittihad Alexandria on 11 March 2024, with a cardiac arrest. He was fitted with a pacemaker and discharged, but his health deteriorated, and he died on 6 July 2024. His case is a reminder that surviving the pitch does not always mean surviving what happened on it.

What these deaths should change is not complicated. Heart screening that actually happens, and happens again. Defibrillators at every ground, with people trained to use them in seconds, not minutes. A clear rule that lightning, extreme heat, and dangerous contact stop play, without anyone having to argue for it. And a culture where a player who feels unwell, dizzy, or hurt is believed immediately, instead of being told to run it off for the sake of a win.

Football will always involve contact. That is not a reason to accept death as part of it. The win is never worth more than the person trying to get it.

Rest in peace to all ten.