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An island in mourning: Tenerife processes death of De Miguel

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An island in mourning: Tenerife processes death of De Miguel

As you arrive on the holiday island of Tenerife, there is a profound sense of grief, pain and disbelief at the death of footballer Jesus de Miguel . The Canary island is in mourning for the Tenerife striker, who died from injuries sustained in a collision with FC Andorra goalkeeper Jesus Owono during a match on Monday.

The 30-year-old had quickly established himself as a club favourite, scoring 11 goals in his first season as Tenerife were promoted to the second tier of Spanish football. But now the Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez Stadium has become a shrine to the player, with hundreds of people gathering throughout the past few days to lay flowers, light candles and pay their respects.

Bouquets, rosettes sent by clubs from across Spain, prayer cards, photographs, children's drawings and scarves have been laid around the grounds outside gate nine. They had arrived on holiday at the weekend and decided to attend Monday's match, hoping to experience Spanish football for the first time.