A Peruvian soccer player died earlier this week at the age of 21 after suffering a blow to the head during a game.
The incident occurred during the 70th minute of the Copa Peru match, when Real Titan NC’s Helar Gonzales Altamirano was battling with a defender for a ball lobbed into the box when Defensor Nueva Cajamarca’s goalkeeper rushed off his line to jump and punch the ball clear.
In the process, the keeper’s leg or knee appeared to hit Altamirano in the head, sending him to the ground in obvious distress.
As Altamirano lay motionless, players from both teams immediately began expressing concern and signalled for medical help from the sidelines.
Altamirano was placed on a stretcher and taken via ambulance to a hospital in the northern Peru city of Moyobamba.
After spending several days in critical condition, Altamirano succumbed to his injuries, the team confirmed on Thursday.
“Rest in peace friend. We will remember you for your love of football and your family. You leave us with great pain,” the team said in a statement, as reported by Metro. “Great strength to your family at this difficult time. They are not alone because Titan is with them and the football family is with them.”
According to reports, Altamirano’s brother told media in Peru that his brother had “suffered a ruptured artery in his head that stemmed from blunt force trauma.”
The player’s father also reportedly expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support for his son.
“I would like to thank everyone for their support with this terrible pain that we’re experiencing,” Jose said, per Metro. “Helar wanted to be a great footballer from a very young age and was always talking about going as far in the sport as he could. I know his team are going to dedicate all their future achievements to him. I thought at first when I saw the clash that it was another player and didn’t initially connect that it was Helar.
“I wanted to go onto the pitch to be nearer my son when I realized it was him but they wouldn’t let me and I didn’t see him until we got to hospital when he was already critical.”