Barcelona to honour Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel before Aston Villa Champions League match

Barcelona president Joan Laporta offered condolences to the family and club of Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel before his side’s Champions League meeting with Aston Villa, after the 30-year-old died following a cardiac emergency.

De Miguel suffered the emergency during Tenerife’s Segunda Division match against Andorra, with news of his death announced one day before Barcelona’s fixture.

Laporta usually uses the pre-match directors’ lunch to discuss the strength of Barcelona’s upcoming opponents or send pointed messages to Real Madrid. However, he set aside that tradition before the visit of Aston Villa.

Speaking at the Via Veneto restaurant, where Barcelona and Aston Villa officials met for lunch ahead of their game at Spotify Camp Nou, Laporta said: “We are deeply shocked by the death of Jesus de Miguel, a Tenerife player. It was a tragic event and, as president of Barcelona and a representative of the club, I would like to extend our deepest condolences to his family, his team-mates, Tenerife and their supporters.

“It has been extremely shocking. We remember him as an athlete and send our regards to his family.”

Laporta attended the lunch alongside vice-president for sporting affairs Rafa Yuste, institutional vice-president Elena Fort and board member Mikel Camps.

A minute’s silence will be held before the match in memory of De Miguel. UEFA will also apply the same tribute at the other matches it organises.

The silence at Spotify Camp Nou will additionally remember the victims of the tragic train accident in Urda, in the province of Toledo.

Aston Villa football director Roberto Olabe also expressed his condolences. He attended the lunch with the English club’s director of football operations, Damia Vidagany.

“You can imagine the state we are all in,” Olabe said. “We have absolute respect for the player’s family and his club. It is a tragedy by every measure. There are things that cannot be controlled and, honestly, what happened is part of the events of the game.”