Tenerife Says Goodbye to Jesús de Miguel in an Emotional Stadium Memorial
Thousands of supporters, teammates and members of the football community gathered at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium on Saturday to remember Tenerife player Jesús de Miguel, whose death has left the club and its fans in deep mourning. The ceremony lasted close to two hours, transforming the ground into a place of shared grief, affection and remembrance.
For one afternoon, football results and match predictions felt distant. Instead, the focus was on the young player’s life, the people who knew him and the mark he left on Tenerife. Attendees included representatives from clubs across Spain’s first and second divisions, as well as De Miguel’s family, teammates and supporters.
A farewell shaped by silence, rain and song
Storm Bruna kept some fans away from the stands, but long queues outside the stadium showed how many wanted to pay their respects. Those who gathered observed periods of silence before voices rose in chants for “Demi,” the affectionate name used by teammates and admirers.
One of the most poignant locations was gate number 9, associated with De Miguel’s shirt. Supporters turned the entrance into a memorial, leaving flowers, candles, scarves and jerseys alongside messages for the player who would no longer take the field in Tenerife colours. The tributes offered a visible reminder of how a footballer’s influence can extend well beyond matchday performances.
The ceremony was not a celebration of a sporting achievement or a response to a dramatic result. It was a gathering to honour a person whose presence had become part of the club’s daily life. For those in attendance, the stadium was both a familiar football venue and a shared space in which to grieve.
Teammates remember a player who was “one of us”
Tenerife captain Enric Gallego spoke about the difficulty of accepting the loss of a teammate. The dressing room, he said, was still struggling to process the shock. Finding words for a farewell was especially hard, he explained, because De Miguel had been part of the group so recently.
Gallego’s message to his late teammate was simple and heartfelt: “You will always be one of us.” He said De Miguel’s memory would remain with the players, describing the club as more than a sporting organisation. In his words, Tenerife is a family—one that brings people together through their shared commitment to its shirt and its community.
That sense of belonging was central to the memorial. Professional football is often discussed through league positions, transfers and predictions for upcoming fixtures, but the ceremony showed another side of the game: the relationships formed in training, in the dressing room and through years of shared experiences. When a club loses one of its own, those connections become especially clear.
Club leaders recall De Miguel’s character
Club president Felipe Miñambres remembered De Miguel as calm, approachable and generous. He was someone who stayed close to the people around him and was willing to help without seeking recognition in return. Away from the pitch, Miñambres said, he could be shy. Inside the penalty area, however, that reserve disappeared.
The contrast between the quiet person described by those who knew him and the confident player in front of goal captured the different sides of De Miguel’s character. It also reflected the way teammates often remember one another: not simply by statistics or highlights, but through small gestures, familiar habits and moments shared away from the spotlight.
Rayco García, Tenerife’s largest shareholder, spoke of the sadness felt across the club and thanked the institutions, teams and supporters who had offered condolences and practical support. He gave particular recognition to Las Palmas and its president, Miguel Ángel Ramírez. The gesture carried special meaning given the rivalry between the Canary Islands clubs, showing how compassion can take precedence over competition.
A promise to De Miguel’s daughter
Among the most significant commitments made during the ceremony was a pledge to Carla, De Miguel’s daughter. García said Tenerife would support her and ensure she continued to understand who her father was and what it meant to wear the club’s shirt. “We will not let her lack anything,” he said.
The promise extended the memorial beyond a single day. It reflected the club’s intention to remain connected to De Miguel’s family and to help preserve his story for the next generation. For Carla, the shirt will represent more than a team: it will carry memories of her father and the affection shown by the people who shared his football life.
Clubs often speak of family when describing their supporters and players. In this case, the phrase took on a practical meaning. The commitment to stand by De Miguel’s daughter offered one of the clearest expressions of how the Tenerife community intends to honour him—not only with words, but with continued care.
A message that captured the day
A message from De Miguel’s family brought the ceremony to a close: “When pain is shared, love is multiplied.” The words reflected the atmosphere inside and outside the stadium, where individual sorrow became a collective act of remembrance.
Saturday’s gathering was more than a farewell to a footballer. It was a tribute to a young man whose kindness, character and presence had made a lasting impression on those around him. While Tenerife’s attention will eventually return to league fixtures, cup ties and predictions for the season ahead, the memory of De Miguel will remain part of the club’s story.
At the Heliodoro Rodríguez López, gate number 9 now stands as a place of tribute. The flowers and scarves left there may fade, but the affection behind them will endure. For Tenerife’s players, supporters and family, Jesús de Miguel will continue to be remembered as “Demi”—a teammate, a loved one and, as Gallego promised, forever one of their own.
