MThousands of people said their final goodbyes to footballer Juan Manuel Izquierdo, from the Montevideo National Club, on Thursday. who died on Tuesday in São Paulo (Brazil) after having collapsed on Thursday during a round of 16 match of the Copa Libertadores.
According to the criteria of
Izquierdo, 27, spent five days in intensive care after being taken off the field by ambulance during his team’s 2-0 loss to São Paulo.
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The body of the defender arrived in Montevideo on Wednesday at midnight aboard a Uruguayan Air Force aircraft. He was then taken to the sports headquarters of Nacional, where silence reigned, only interrupted at times by bursts of applause.
Hundreds of Nacional fans marched past Izquierdo’s coffin, which was surrounded by a large number of floral arrangements sent by many colleagues and several clubs.
The solidarity of rival clubs after the death of Izquierdo
Five São Paulo players (Jonathan Calleri, Rafinha, Michel Araújo, Wellington Rato and Galoppo) were present at the vigil. There was also a good representation from Peñarol, Nacional’s archrival, where Izquierdo also played: part of the squad, coach Diego Aguirre and the club president, Ignacio Ruglio, attended.
There were also gestures of solidarity from many Peñarol fans. One of them left a shirt on a fence in front of the headquarters, where it received applause from Nacional supporters.
Stars such as Luis Suárez, former player of Nacional, and former figures of the national team, such as Diego Forlán, identified with Peñarol, among many other footballers, said goodbye to “El Negrón”, as Izquierdo was affectionately known.
The footballer’s family decided that there would be no funeral, so Izquierdos’ remains will be cremated. The Nacional club declared five days of mourning and the Uruguayan Football Association suspended all tournaments until Sunday.
The South American Football Confederation has also ordered three days of mourning and at all Copa Libertadores quarter-final matches there will be a minute of silence in memory of Izquierdo.
On Wednesday, Selena, Izquierdo’s partner and mother of his two children, a 2-year-old girl and a newborn, posted a message saying goodbye to the love of her life.
“Today a part of me dies with you,” she wrote. “Today I have to continue for our children and find strength where there is none (…) I will love you all my life, my warrior. This time it was time to lose,” she added.
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