Thousands gathered for a public wake on Thursday to honor Uruguayan football player Juan Izquierdo, the Nacional defender who died of cardiac arrest just five days after collapsing during a Copa Libertadores match in Brazil.
Izquierdo, 27, passed away Tuesday night at a Sao Paulo hospital following his collapse during the Nacional, Sao Paulo match at Morumbi Stadium.
After a brief, private ceremony for family on Thursday, Nacional opened its headquarters to the public.
Football fans in Uruguayan club shirts paid their respects, while players from Nacional and rival Penarol waited inside.
The area around Avenida 8 de Octubre in the Uruguayan capital was adorned with Nacional’s blue and red colors. Flags, flowers, candles, letters, and drawings formed a tribute to Izquierdo, who was married and had two young children.
“This hurts all of us Uruguayans, whether you’re a Nacional fan or not,” said 17-year-old Catalina Antuna.
A Nacional supporter, Antuna attended the wake with her friend Juana Fleitas, a Penarol fan.
“He was a player who was always strong… a warrior who fought until the last moment,” Fleitas said.
Izquierdo’s professional career began in 2018 at local club Cerro. He joined Penarol the following year but had limited playing time. He moved to Montevideo Wanderers, catching the attention of Mexico’s San Luis in 2021 before returning to the Wanderers.
The defender signed with Nacional in 2022, played one match, and was then transferred to Liverpool. He was a key player in Liverpool’s Uruguayan league title win in 2023, the club’s first in over a century. He returned to Nacional this year.
Five players from Sao Paulo FC, the club’s deputy chairman, and six Brazilian fans also attended the ceremony.
“It happened in our house, in our stadium, and we felt it as if it were our family,” defender and team captain Rafinha, formerly of Bayern Munich, told reporters in Montevideo.
Nacional reported that there will be no funeral following the public wake.
