Footballer, 18, tragically dies after collapsing during U20s clash as heartbroken club say ‘pain overwhelms us’

Santiago Castrillon, an Under-20 player with Bogota-based Millonarios whose first team plays in the top-flight Primera A league in Colombia, lost his fight for life yesterday, a day after he was rushed to hospital.

The 18-year-old’s club said overnight in a statement paying tribute to their late No10: “Millonarios FC reports that on Saturday player Santiago Castrillon suffered a collapse during a National U-20 Tournament match.

“He was immediately attended to by the team’s doctors and transferred by ambulance to a high-complexity hospital in the north of Bogota, where he was treated in intensive care by all specialists in the cardiovascular area.

“Despite medical efforts, Santiago was unable to recover and passed away this Sunday in the company of his family, team-mates and friends.”

The statement from “The Blues” added: “Today football comes to a stop. The blue heart is broken. Today pain overwhelms us, fills us with helplessness and sadness.