Antonio Puerta

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Lore & Background

Born in Seville, Andalusia, Puerta joined Sevilla as a boy and spent a total of 14 years at the club. His La Liga debut came on 21 March 2004. Promoted to the first team for the 2005–06 season, he scored against Schalke 04 in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup on 27 April 2006, and scored his penalty shootout attempt in the 2007 UEFA Cup final. His impressive performances earned him international recognition and reported interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, but all bids were rejected. Puerta was capped once by Spain, against Sweden on 7 October 2006, and appeared five times for the under-21s.

In Their Own Story

On 25 August 2007, Puerta collapsed and lost consciousness in the penalty area due to a cardiac arrest during Sevilla's first La Liga fixture of the 2007–08 campaign at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium against Getafe. He was seen crouching and then subsequently collapsing upon moving back to his team's goal after only 35 minutes, as teammates Ivica Dragutinović and Andrés Palop immediately ran to his side. After recovering and being substituted, Puerta was able to walk to the dressing room, where he collapsed once again. He was resuscitated by doctors and taken to the intensive care unit of Virgen del Rocío hospital, where he received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Puerta died on 28 August 2007 at 14:30. Doctor Francisco Murillo reported that he had suffered multiple organ failure and irreversible brain damage as a result of multiple prolonged cardiac arrests due to arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Reader's Guide

Puerta died on 28 August 2007 at 14:30. Doctor Francisco Murillo reported that he had suffered multiple organ failure and irreversible brain damage as a result of multiple prolonged cardiac arrests due to an incurable, hereditary heart disease known as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. Sevilla 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 would have the option to bring the number out of retirement. However, Spanish football teams were not allowed to do so; as a result, David Prieto wore the shirt in 2007–08 in honour of his friend but it was later decided that only youth products could wear that jersey. Controversially, the number was given to Argentine Federico Fazio in 2016. One year later, it was awarded to Jesús Navas, a close friend of Puerta, upon his return in 2017.

Did You Know?

• Puerta collapsed on the pitch during a La Liga game against Getafe on 25 August 2007, but died in hospital three days later, not on the pitch.
• Sevilla's UEFA Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens was postponed until 3 September after Puerta's death.
• A statue of Puerta was built in the club's José Ramón Cisneros Palacios sporting facilities in 2010.

A Product of Sevilla's Youth System

Born in Seville, Andalusia, Puerta joined Sevilla as a boy and spent a total of 14 years at the club, growing up at its acclaimed youth system alongside other players such as Alejandro Alfaro, Kepa Blanco, Jesús Navas, Sergio Ramos and José Antonio Reyes. His La Liga debut came on 21 March 2004, as he played 71 minutes in a 0–1 home defeat against neighbours Málaga. Promoted to the first team for the 2005–06 season, Puerta became intimately connected to Sevilla's history on 27 April 2006, when he scored against Schalke 04 in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup: in the final moments of the match, he received a long ball and struck it with his left foot for the 1–0 final (and aggregate) win; they went on to collect five titles in fifteen months, with Puerta scoring his penalty shootout attempt in the 2007 UEFA Cup final, against compatriots Espanyol. His impressive performances earned him international recognition and reported interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, but all bids were rejected.

Defining Moments on the Pitch

Puerta's defining moment came on 27 April 2006, when he scored against Schalke 04 in the UEFA Cup semi-finals: in the final moments of the match, he received a long ball and struck it with his left foot for the 1–0 final (and aggregate) win. Sevilla went on to collect five titles in fifteen months, with Puerta scoring his penalty shootout attempt in the 2007 UEFA Cup final, against compatriots Espanyol. He was capped once by the Spain national side, playing against Sweden on 7 October 2006, coming on as a substitute for Joan Capdevila in the 52nd minute of a 2–0 away loss for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers. Additionally, Puerta appeared five times for the under-21s.

The Tragic Final Match

On 25 August 2007, Puerta collapsed and lost consciousness in the penalty area due to a cardiac arrest during Sevilla's first La Liga fixture of the 2007–08 campaign at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium 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, as teammates Ivica Dragutinović and Andrés Palop immediately ran to his side as he lost consciousness; moments later, club medical staff and other players followed suit. After recovering and being substituted, Puerta was able to walk to the dressing room, where he collapsed once again. He was resuscitated by the doctors and taken, by ambulance, to the intensive care unit of Virgen del Rocío hospital, where he received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Puerta died on 28 August 2007, at 14:30. Doctor Francisco Murillo reported that he had suffered multiple organ failure and irreversible brain damage as a result of multiple prolonged cardiac arrests due to an incurable, hereditary heart disease known as arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.

Enduring Legacy and Tributes

As a mark of respect, players from both Sevilla and city rivals Real Betis attended his funeral days after his death and, subsequently, FIFA ordered the installation of resuscitation rooms in every stadium that hosted the World Cup qualifiers. Sevilla's UEFA Champions League qualifier against AEK Athens was postponed until 3 September; the former eventually won 4–1. It was also announced that a one-minute silence would be held before every Spanish league match that weekend. The team's UEFA Super Cup game with AC Milan on 31 August went ahead, as a tribute to Puerta, with all 22 participants having the name 'PUERTA' printed on the back of their jersey. The players and officials on both sides also wore black armbands. Sevilla 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 would have the option to bring the number out of retirement. However, Spanish football teams were not allowed to do so, as the Royal Spanish Football Federation stated that clubs should use number 1 to 25 for their regular squad; David Prieto wore the shirt in 2007–08 in honour of his friend but it was later decided that only youth products could wear that jersey. The number was given to Argentine Federico Fazio in 2016. One year later, it was awarded to Jesús Navas, a close friend of Puerta, upon his return in 2017. Ramos wore T-shirts in memory of Puerta after Spain won UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with Navas doing the same on the latter occasion. Earlier in 2010, a statue of him was built in the club's José Ramón Cisneros Palacios sporting facilities.

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