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, 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.

In Their Own Story

The defining tragedy of Puerta's life occurred on 25 August 2007 during Sevilla's first La Liga fixture of the 2007–08 season against Getafe at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium. After only 35 minutes, he collapsed in the penalty area, losing consciousness due to a cardiac arrest. Teammates Ivica Dragutinović and Andrés Palop immediately rushed to his side as medical staff followed. Although resuscitated on the pitch and able to walk to the dressing room initially, he collapsed again inside. He was transported by ambulance to Virgen del Rocío hospital for further cardiopulmonary resuscitation but suffered irreversible brain damage and multiple organ failure. Three days later, on 28 August 2007 at 14:30, Puerta died. His girlfriend was expecting their first child at the time. The aftermath saw a massive outpouring of grief; players from rivals Real Betis attended his funeral, and FIFA subsequently ordered resuscitation rooms in all World Cup qualifier stadiums.

Reader's Guide

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. Puerta's girlfriend was expecting their first child at the time of his death. 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.

Did You Know?

• Sevilla retired Puerta's number 16 jersey after his death, 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 reti
• 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 Ci
• Puerta was capped once by the Spain national side, playing against Sweden on 7 October 2006. He came on as a substitute for Deportivo de La Coruña's Joan Capdevila in the 52nd minute of a 2–0 away loss for the UEFA Euro