The soccer world is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of soccer player Juan Izquierdo. Defender for the 49-time Uruguayan Champions, Nacional, he was in the middle of a successful season in the Premier Division Apertura. But it was on August 22nd that he played his last game on the soccer pitch during the Copa Libertadores.

On the other hand, apart from his club, even rivals Sao Paulo have expressed condolences for the star. The Brazilian club’s players donned a shirt, expressing their unity with the star while he was in the hospital. He was 27 years old and was helping Nacional to go for another league title this season. But what has caused his sudden passing away?

Exploring the reason for Juan Izquierdo’s untimely demise

It was during the Round of 16 in the Copa Libertadores that Izquierdo joined the game as a substitute after halftime against Sao Paulo, a club from Brazil. After playing for a few minutes, fans saw the former CA Peñarol player collapsing on the pitch in the 84th minute without any contact with another player. Players from both teams trying to assist him later surrounded him. Reports later revealed he had a “cardiorespiratory arrest associated with his cardiac arrhythmia”, a condition in which there is an erratic heartbeat according to medical experts. After doctors tried to restore him to normal on the pitch for a few minutes, he was rushed to the hospital immediately.

After being transferred to the intensive care unit, reports claimed his situation to be initially stable. However, his condition worsened over the last few days. News indicated they placed him on a ventilator on Sunday. In addition, he was receiving critical neurological care due to increased brain pressure. Izquierdo was admitted to Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo and passed away yesterday. It was also stated that the player never had any heart issues or complaints earlier.

The departed athlete was reported to have two children – his last child was born recently, around 10 days ago. His parents and officials from the club were at the hospital. Tributes kept pouring in from everyone, including Uruguay’s legend Luis Suarez. Hence, due to the grief, the board has rescheduled the matches of the top two tiers of Uruguayan soccer.

Having represented six clubs in his career, he was a part of two teams that won the Uruguayan league in his career. Juan Izquierdo began his senior trade with Cerro in 2018 and afterward, played for Peñarol in 2019. He first arrived at his present club in 2022 and subsequently moved to Liverpool FC Montevideo. There, he was one of the club’s most formidable players last season.

Later, he returned to Nacional this year and started regularly except for his muscle injury in April. While his near and dear are sorrowing during this hard time, the entire sporting world stands in solidarity for this loss.