Antonio Puerta, el mundo esta contigo.

A bit of sobering news out of Seville, Spain today. Antonio Puerta, 22 year-old left midfielder at Sevilla, died in the hospital after suffering a heart attack on the pitch against Getafe.

I had never seen the guy play soccer before this morning. I hadn't heard of him until Monday morning. By all accounts he was a good player and a greater friend, a guy only two years older than me about to become a father. He inspired his teammates and his fans, and his story is absolutely heartbreaking. As a testament to his character, thousands flocked to Sevilla's home ground Sanchez Pizjuan today in order to pay their respects to their friend.

I remember hearing about Marc Vivien Foe when he died on the pitch at a Confederation's Cup match against Columbia, and I remember being very moved watching the final versus France when Cameroonian teammates held up his picture and paid tribute to him before the match. I remember France pointing to the sky after their winning goal. This morning I found about ten tribute videos dedicated to him, as well as Miklos Feher, who collapsed and died on the pitch while he was playing for Benfica. His story, something I had not seen or heard yet, was just as heartbreaking as Puerta's and Foe's...he collapsed after flashing the ref an ironic smile after receiving a yellow card. People loved the guy for who he was, not what position he played...you could see that in the faces of the horrified teammates, visibly shocked and saddened on the pitch, not sad because they had lost a game or lost a player due to injury. They had lost a very good friend.

And now Clive Clarke, a player at Leicester in England, has suffered a heart attack in the locker room at halftime and was in very serious condition at last check.

It really puts things into perspective. Today Sevilla fans aren't wondering who their team should've traded or who they should've gotten through free agency; they aren't talking about winning the Copa del Rey or the Champion's League or the Spanish Primera. They just want their friend back. In a way, the feelings resonate through us all; we all want Puerta back because of what he means to us. We never want our heroes or friends to die.

Sevilla, el mundo esta contigo. May you rest in peace, Antonio Puerta.