"With the deepest sorrow and shock in our hearts, Club Nacional de Football announces the death of our beloved player Juan Izquierdo," the club said in a message posted on social media platform X on Tuesday evening, accompanied by a black and white photo of the athlete and a emoji.

"The Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital regrets to announce the death of Mr Juan Manuel Izquierdo, who passed away on Tuesday 27 August at 21:38 local time due to brain death following a cardiorespiratory arrest associated with arrhythmia," read the last official statement from the São Paulo hospital, where the footballer had been admitted for the past five days.

These words were deeply moving, and soon the South American football world echoed the news, with almost all the clubs in the region sending messages of condolence and support to the family on the same social media platform.

"We offer our sincerest condolences to his family, friends, colleagues and loved ones. The entire Nacional community mourns his irreparable loss. Rest in peace. Juan, you will be with us forever," added the club, who have won the Copa Libertadores three times in their history (1971, 1980 and 1988).

Like clubs across the continent, the Confederation of South American Football (CONMEBOL), which represents almost all South American countries, also expressed its condolences, saying in a brief statement on X that it "deeply regrets the passing of Juan Izquierdo". "We send our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace."

Peñarol, Nacional's arch-rivals in Uruguayan football, expressed their sadness at the death of Izquierdo, who played for the club in 2019. "We offer our deepest condolences and embrace his family, friends and the Club Nacional de Football at this time of immense grief," they said in a statement.

Izquierdo, 27, collapsed during last Thursday's Copa Libertadores quarter-final match between Nacional and São Paulo and was rushed by ambulance to the nearby Albert Einstein Israelite Hospital.

The incident occurred at the Morumbi stadium after Izquierdo came on to play the entire second half as a substitute for Sebastián Coates. A few minutes before the end of the match, the footballer took two unsteady steps backwards and fell unconscious. He was immediately attended to by the stadium's medical team before being rushed off in an ambulance to the applause of the crowd.

The Nacional defender had been sedated and on a ventilator in intensive care since 22 August at 20:55 local time, when he was admitted with "cardiac arrest of undetermined origin secondary to an arrhythmia," according to the doctors treating him.

According to medical reports, his condition worsened on Sunday, with further tests revealing "progressive brain damage and increased intracranial pressure".

"We have spent days in prayer, unity and hope, and today we are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Juan Izquierdo, a Nacional athlete. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family, friends, colleagues, Nacional fans and the entire Uruguayan nation at this time of mourning. A sad day for football," said Sao Paulo on their social media accounts.

Thursday's Libertadores match ended shortly after Izquierdo was taken to hospital, but Sao Paulo's 2-0 victory and Nacional's exit from the continental showpiece was overshadowed by the incident, which shocked the public in both countries.

Messages of support and solidarity poured in, including from Sao Paulo, whose players wore "Fuerza Izquierdo" shirts for Sunday's match against Vitória at the Brasileirão in Morumbi, and Uruguay star Luis Suárez, who dedicated his two goals in Saturday's win over Inter Miami to the defender.

The player's collapse led to the suspension of Uruguay's local league on Monday, following the cancellation of matches over the weekend. "Neither physically nor mentally are we in a position to compete in the near future," said Balbi.

It emerged on Monday that Izquierdo had been diagnosed with a "minor arrhythmia" during routine medical checks for youth teams ten years ago, according to Sebastián Bauza, director of the National Sports Secretariat.

The news surprised Balbi, who had previously stated that Izquierdo's annual electrocardiograms at Club Nacional "never showed any cardiac problems or abnormalities".

Born in Montevideo on 4 July 1997, Izquierdo began his career at Club Atlético Cerro in Montevideo in 2017 and played for other top-flight clubs in Uruguay, including Peñarol, Wanderers and Liverpool, as well as Atlético San Luis in Mexico. He signed for Nacional on 24 January and has a contract until 31 December 2025.

During his career, the 1.84m defender made 139 appearances, scoring seven goals, providing five assists, receiving 36 yellow cards and being sent off seven times (four double yellow cards and three straight red cards). 

He was in his second spell with Nacional after a spell with Liverpool in Uruguay. So far in 2024, he has played 1,801 minutes in 23 matches, scoring his only goal for Nacional on 3 May in a 4-2 win over Racing of Uruguay at the Gran Parque Central.