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Antonio José Puerta Pérez was a Spanish international football
midfielder. He played for Sevilla FC in La Liga.
Affected with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy,
he died on 28 August 2007, three days after suffering a series
of cardiac arrests during a league game against Getafe CF on
25 August 2007.
A natural
left-footer, Puerta joined Sevilla as a boy and spent a total
of 14 years at the club, growing up at the club’s acclaimed
youth system alongside other players such as Sergio Ramos,
Jesús Navas, Alejandro Alfaro and Kepa Blanco. He played on
the left side of midfield, although he did occasionally fill
in at left back. His impressive performances earned him
international recognition and reported interest from Arsenal,
Manchester United and Real Madrid.
Antonio
is remembered by the goal that he scored against FC Schalke 04
in the UEFA Cup 2005/06, against Sweden in a qualification
match for the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship. He
was also capped for Spain U-21.
On 25
August 2007, Puerta collapsed and lost consciousness in the
penalty area due to a cardiac arrest during Sevilla’s first
match of the 2007-08 La Liga season at their home stadium
Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán against Getafe. He was seen
crouching and then subsequently collapsing upon moving back to
his team’s goal after only 35 minutes of the game had passed.
His team-mates Ivica Dragutinović, Andrés Palop and a club
medical staff and other players were then seen immediately
running to his side as he lost consciousness.
After
recovering and being substituted, Puerta collapsed once again
in the changing rooms. He was resuscitated by club medical
staff and taken, by ambulance, to the intensive care unit of
Virgen del Rocio hospital, Sevilla, where he received
cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Antonio
Puerta died on the 28 August 2007 at 14:30 hours. Doctor
Francisco Murillo reported that Puerta had suffered multiple
organ failure and irreversible brain damage as a result of
multiple prolonged cardiac arrests due to an incurable,
hereditary heart disease. Puerta’s girlfriend was expecting
their first child at the time of his death.
As a
result of Puerta’s death, Sevilla’s UEFA Champions League
qualifier against AEK Athens was postponed until the fourth of
September - which Sevilla subsequently won 4-1. The club also
announced that a one-minute silence would be held before every
La Liga match on the weekend of September 1-2, 2007. Also,
every 16th minute the crowd at Sevilla’s stadium would
increase the volume for a whole minute as an informal tribute.
Sevilla’s
European Super Cup game with AC Milan on 31 August 2007 went
ahead as a tribute to Puerta, with all the players on both
teams having the name “PUERTA” printed on the back of their
jersey. The players and officials on both sides also wore
black armbands.
Sevilla
FC subsequently retired Puerta’s number 16 shirt, with the
provision that should his son, Aitor Antonio (born 22 October
2007), one day play for the club, he will have the option to
bring the number out of retirement.
Following
his death, FIFA ordered the installation of resuscitation
rooms in every stadium that hosted the South American World
Cup qualifiers. |
