A young Chinese footballer with a promising career has passed away just one day before his 19th birthday, his club announced on Thursday.
Guo Jiaxuan suffered a severe head injury last month during a training match in Madrid between a Beijing U-20 team and Spanish club RC Alcobendas. He fell into a coma and was declared “brain dead” by local doctors. As his condition worsened, he was transported to a hospital in Beijing, where he died on Wednesday evening.
His family has accused the Beijing Football Association of failing to keep them informed about the incident and neglecting to communicate with them in the aftermath.
Guo was part of the youth system at Beijing Guoan, a top-tier club that pledged to “do its utmost to properly handle the aftermath and provide all necessary help and support to Guo Jiaxuan’s family.”
“We’ve lost a child who loves football. May Jiaxuan rest in peace!” the club shared in a social media post.
The exact circumstances leading to Guo’s fatal injury remain unclear.
His family has requested access to video footage of the match, details of his medical treatment before hospitalisation, and information regarding his insurance coverage.
His brother shared a black-and-white photo of the young defender on social media, captioning it: “He’ll forever be frozen on the last day of his 18th year.” In a previous post, he wrote that the family “just want the truth and justice.”
Guo represented Beijing Guoan’s U-19 squad and was selected for China’s U-17 national team in 2023. That same year, he also participated in the FC Bayern World Squad project, an initiative by Bayern Munich aimed at developing young talent from around the world.
“The club’s thoughts are with his family and friends,” Bayern Munich stated.
The Beijing Football Association explained in an online statement that it had initially refrained from “disclosing information” about the incident to “avoid irrelevant personnel interfering with medical work, and taking into account the feelings of family members.” The association confirmed it had since obtained video footage of the match and assembled experts to review it.
“We have made every effort to coordinate medical resources for treatment and meet the needs of his family as much as possible,” the Beijing FA added.
Hundreds of social media users expressed their condolences, with one commenting, “It’s a loss of such a bright future at such a young age,” while another wrote, “I wish him happy playing in heaven.”
