As you arrive on the holiday island of Tenerife, there is a profound sense of grief, pain and disbelief at the death of footballer Jesus de Miguel. The Canary island is in mourning for the Tenerife striker, who died from injuries sustained in a collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a match on Monday. The 30-year-old had quickly established himself as a club favourite, scoring 11 goals in his first season as Tenerife were promoted to the second tier of Spanish football.
But now the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium has become a shrine to the player, with hundreds of people gathering throughout the past few days to lay flowers, light candles and pay their respects. Bouquets, rosettes sent by clubs from across Spain, prayer cards, photographs, children's drawings and scarves have been laid around the grounds outside gate nine. It is a deeply moving scene.
Fans and residents stand in silence, taking in the tributes. Many are visibly tearful as the scale of the loss begins to sink in at the very place the incident happened. 'Most difficult days of my life' for keeper Owono Among those paying their respects were Lisa and Lee, visiting Tenerife from Stoke-on-Trent. They had arrived on holiday at the weekend and decided to attend Monday's match, hoping to experience Spanish football for the first time.
"We never expected something like this to happen," they told BBC Sport. "We knew it was serious when the players surrounded him [De Miguel], but to see players crying and actually praying on the pitch was very emotional. "When we found out the news the next day, it just really hit us." The couple described the atmosphere inside the stadium as sombre and almost completely silent as spectators waited to understand what was happening.
"You always expect somebody to pull through," Lee said. "And then seeing the news the next day, it was just unbelievable." They returned to the stadium on Wednesday to lay a Port Vale shirt among the tributes, wanting to show their support for the Tenerife community. "Football has no colours," Lisa said.
"If it was one of our players, we'd be heartbroken. They're part of your family." For Carlos, a player with Tenerife's disability side Tenerife Foundation, the loss is particularly personal. "Honestly, there are no words to describe him.
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