Sevilla player Antonio Puerta has died at the age of 22

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Sevilla player Antonio Puerta has died at the age of 22, two days after collapsing during his team's clash with Getafe CF.

Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta died Tuesday, three days after collapsing on the field during his team's Spanish league match against Getafe, Spanish news reports said.

The 22-year-old Puerta had been in an intensive care unit since Saturday and had been given assisted ventilation but his condition worsened Tuesday, the Virgen del Rocio hospital said.

A statement by his managers was expected to be released shortly.

Puerta lost consciousness and fell near his own goal Saturday in the 31st minute, but was able to walk off minutes later after being treated by team doctors.

He collapsed again in the locker room before being taken to the hospital, where he has been since.

Spanish media are reporting that Antonio Puerta has died aged 22 after collapsing during his side's match against Getafe on Saturday.
Puerta collapsed after jogging back towards his own goal 35 minutes into the opening league game of the season at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday. Team-mates and medical staff rushed to his side and were seen preventing him from swallowing his tongue as he lost consciousness.

Doctors earlier confirmed that the condition of Puerta had deteriorated. A medical report by Dr Francisco Murillo, head of the intensive care unit, read: "The condition of patient Antonio Puerta is not favourable due to the progression of the postanoxic brain injury and the multiple organic dysfunction caused by the prolonged cardiac arrest that led to his admission to hospital."

Puerta, who had passed a medical with his club three weeks ago, was able to walk from the pitch after being attended to by medical staff on Saturday, but then collapsed again in the changing rooms and was given cardiac resuscitation.

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Sevilla defender Antonio Puerta died Tuesday. He was 22.

The Spain international collapsed on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest during Saturday's Primera Liga game against Getafe.

Puerta was able to walk off but suffered a relapse in the dressing room and required cardiac resuscitation. He was rushed to the Hospital Virgen del Rocio in Seville but passed away on Tuesday.

Puerta, whose girlfriend is pregnant, had been a member of the Sevilla first team for three seasons and spent 14 years in total with the Andalusian club he joined as a boy. He was capped by Spain in October.

A statement from Dr. Francisco Murillo, head of intensive care at the hospital, confirmed the death.

"We regret to announce that the patient Antonio Puerta died at 14.30 (local time) as a consequence of postpanoxic encephalopathy and multiorganic dysfunction provoked by the cardiac arrest," Murillo in a statement.

UEFA postponed Tuesday night's Champions League qualifier between AEK Athens and Sevilla, with the Sevilla squad flying back to Spain from Greece.

News of Puerta's passing left Spanish football in mourning.

The Spanish Football League issued a statement on Puerta's death,

"The Spanish Football League (LFP) sends its condolences to the family of Antonio Puerta, to Sevilla Football Club and to their fans for the sad news of the player's death," the statement read.

"The LFP has asked all their fans to respect a one-minute silence before each game of the second round of the Primera Liga."

UEFA also issued a statement of condolence.

"UEFA and the entire football family extend their sympathy and sincere condolences to the family of Antonio Puerta, Sevilla FC and the Spanish Football Association," the statement said.

Sevilla's city rival Real Betis was among the first clubs to send a public message of condolence.

"This is a blow to the whole of Seville," Betis owner Manuel Ruiz de Lopera said.

"Our thoughts are with Sevilla Football Club, with the player's family and with the player, who I am sure will be in heaven."

Spanish champions Real Madrid also sent condolences.

"Real Madrid wishes to express its profound sorrow for the death of footballer Antonio Puerta. "The club wishes to join in the pain of the family Puerta and send their sympathy to Sevilla after the news that has shocked the sporting world."

Puerta's body will from Wednesday lie in state at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, where Sevilla fans will be able to pay their respects.

This is not the first time the Andalusian club has experienced such a sad event as, back in 1973, Pedro Berruelo Martin died on the pitch following a cardiac arrest while playing for Sevilla in a Segunda Liga game against Pontevedra.

Spain coach Luis Aragones was deeply saddened by the news of Puerta's death.

Under Aragones, Puerta made his debut with the senior national team on October 7 2006 and was set to have a promising future for club and country.

"At this time I have no choice but to join his family in their pain," said Aragones.

"Above all was the human quality of Antonio."

Athletic Bilbao and former Sevilla coach Joaquin Caparros was equally moved.

Caparros had coached Puerta while in charge of Sevilla two years ago.

"He was a great footballer and a wonderful person with a great future ahead of him," said Caparros.

"I was never aware that had a medical condition because I remember him giving his all during training. I have a lot of memories of him - of the day I met him, the day he made his debut with the first team and the day he scored."

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Sevilla midfielder Antonio Puerta died Tuesday, three days after collapsing on the field during his team's Spanish league game against Getafe.

Puerta died of "multiple organ failure stemming from prolonged cardiac arrest" and subsequent coronary problems, Virgen del Rocio Hospital director Gimeno Guerrero said in a statement.

"This is one of the saddest days in the history of FC Sevilla," team president Jose Maria del Nido said, fighting to hold back tears.

The 22-year-old Puerta had been in an intensive care unit since Saturday and had been given assisted ventilation, but his condition worsened Tuesday.

Puerta lost consciousness and fell near his own goal Saturday in the 31st minute, but was able to walk off minutes later after being treated by team doctors. Doctors said he had a heart attack in the locker room and at least one more in the emergency room of a Seville hospital.

"The Professional Football League wishes to pass on its most sincere condolences to the family of Antonio Puerta," the league said in a statement. "It has also declared the next day of league play to be one of official mourning and asked all its affiliated teams to observe a minute's silence before the games."

A wake open to the public will be held for Puerta starting at midnight Tuesday ahead of his burial on Wednesday, and his family has asked that his body be wrapped in a team flag, Sevilla said on its Web site.

Sevilla, which beat Getafe 4-1 in Saturday's match, was scheduled to play at AEK Athens on Tuesday in the second leg of Champions League qualifying, but the match was postponed by the Union of European Football Associations.

The game will be played Monday, when Sevilla had been scheduled to play Osasuna in the Spanish league. Sevilla remained scheduled to play AC Milan in the European Super Cup on Friday at Monte Carlo, Monaco.

"Milan remains available and shares ... any decision that will be taken by UEFA for the European Super Cup match, whether it will be played or not," Milan said on its Web site.

Puerta, who was born in Seville, has played for Spain's national team and scored one of Sevilla's penalty kicks in the shootout win over Espanyol in May in the UEFA Cup final.

He also scored an injury-time goal that led Sevilla over Schalke in the semifinals of the 2006 UEFA Cup. Sevilla went on to win the final, beating Middlesbrough 4-0.

"UEFA and the entire football family extend their sympathy and sincere condolences to the family of Antonio Puerta," UEFA said.

Other soccer players who have died after collapsing on the field include Benfica's Miklos Feher in 2004 and Cameroon midfielder Marc-Vivien Foe at the 2003 Confederations Cup in France.

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Thousands of football fans gathered at Sevilla's stadium Wednesday to pay their last respects to defender Antonio Puerta, who died three days after suffering a heart attack during the club's opening match of the Spanish league on Saturday.

The body of the 22-year-old, who made his national team debut last season, was moved to the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium from the hospital where he died on Tuesday as supporters chanted: "Puerta, friend, Seville is with you".

Puerta was then cremated at a cemetery in Seville in southwestern Spain at 2pm (1200 GMT), reporters said at the scene.

Fans from both Sevilla and its cross-town rivals Real Betis left football scarves, candles and dozens of flower arrangements at the stadium while long lines formed to file past the player's coffin, which was draped in Sevilla's centenary flag.

At the coffin's side were the recent trophies which Puerta helped the club win, including last season's UEFA Cup.

Also mourning in Seville were Real Madrid chairman Ramon Calderon, who headed the club's delegation to Wednesday's ceremony alongside sporting director Pedja Mijatovic and top stars Raul and Guti.

Others present from the league champions were former Seville stars Sergio Ramos, Javier Saviola and Brazilian Julio Baptista.

The Sevilla squad went directly to the stadium after rushing back from Athens where they had been set to play a Champions League return leg against AEK Athens on Tuesday night.

UEFA postponed the encounter.

Accompanied by Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido and the club's coach Juande Ramos, the squad was greeted with applause on their arrival by some 20,000 supporters with cries of "Sevilla! Sevilla! Sevilla!".

The player's family, including his girlfirend Mar, who is seven months pregnant, held a silent vigil by the coffin.

The Champions League match has now been scheduled for Monday although the UEFA Cup champions' Super Cup match against Champions League winners AC Milan, scheduled for Friday, has been maintained.

Spain's sports newspapers also paid homage to Puerta.

"Antonio Puerta, the injustice of dying at the age of 22. Why?" wrote sports daily Marca in its headline while daily newspaper La Razon said: "The heart of football has stopped."

In an editorial, top-selling daily newspaper El Pais said Puerta's death had touched the public and "raised questions about the demands of professional sports."

Sevilla has scheduled four "high level" matches in just nine days, it said.

Puerta, who reportedly sparked interest from English Premiership sides Arsenal and Manchester United earlier this year, collapsed after half an hour of Sevilla's 4-1 win over Getafe.

He was able to walk to the dressing rooms where he collapsed a second time before being taken to hospital where he remained hooked up to a life support machine until he died.

Clubs continued to express their bewilderment, meanwhile, at what had happened.

Angel Torres, chairman of last weekend's rivals Getafe, said Puerta's death "is a blow for football and for sport," adding the pain of the affair was made all the harder as his own club was playing Sevilla when the player collapsed.

Torres spoke of the "immense grief" felt by Spain's sporting community and offered condolences to Puerta's family.

Spanish media quoted Liverpool's Spanish star Fernando Torres as saying on his website that: "Puerta's death leaves a vacuum which is impossible to fill. May he rest in peace."