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- (VIDEO) Fans Bid Farewell to Juan Izquierdo with Messages and Flowers
(VIDEO) Fans Bid Farewell to Juan Izquierdo with Messages and Flowers
Supporters of the Uruguayan club Nacional gathered at the team’s headquarters on Wednesday to leave flowers and messages for footballer Juan Izquierdo, who passed away a day earlier in São Paulo, Brazil.
Under a Tricolor flag flying at half-mast, fans placed jerseys with handwritten messages.
"Not even death will separate us," reads one of the jerseys placed on a fence, accompanied by red, white, blue, and other colored flowers. "Forever Juan," says another.
Elsewhere, a letter dedicated to the player expresses the wish that he may be at peace and serene, highlighting that the footballer left behind a "legacy" that will always be present for each of his fans.
Meanwhile, social media has been filled with messages remembering Izquierdo, who played for Nacional on two occasions and won the Uruguayan championship in 2022 alongside the legendary scorer Luis Suárez.
Last Thursday, Izquierdo collapsed at the end of the match between Nacional and São Paulo in the Copa Libertadores round of 16 after suffering an arrhythmia. He was immediately taken from the stadium in an ambulance and transported to the Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital in São Paulo.
The player arrived at the hospital in cardiac arrest, of indeterminate origin, secondary to an arrhythmia. Since then, doctors kept him sedated and on mechanical ventilation.
On Sunday, the medical bulletin reported that Izquierdo had shown "progression of brain impairment and increased intracranial pressure."
The following day, his condition worsened, and a new report indicated that the player had a "critical neurological condition."
Izquierdo passed away at the age of 27, leaving the football world in mourning.