An 18-year-old Colombian footballer has died in hospital after collapsing during a game, his club Millonarios has confirmed. Santiago Castrillon, a youth player for the Bogota-based side, suffered a collapse on Saturday during a National U-20 Tournament match against arch-rivals Independiente Santa Fe.
The club said in a statement that Castrillon was immediately attended to by team doctors and transferred by ambulance to a high-complexity hospital in northern Bogota, where he was treated in intensive care by cardiovascular specialists. Despite medical efforts, he passed away on Sunday surrounded by his family, teammates, and friends.
Millonarios paid tribute to Castrillon, who wore the number 10 shirt, describing him as someone who “didn’t just play football. He lived it, felt it, shared it with a smile.” The club added: “Today football comes to a stop. The blue heart is broken.”
The offensive midfielder, who would have turned 19 in September, was born in Bucaramanga and joined Millonarios in 2021. He had trained regularly with the first team and received his first official call-up last October. Independiente Santa Fe also expressed their condolences, noting that “today football is in mourning”.
