This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
On June 20, 2020, the Spanish football world was left reeling after the tragic death of a promising 17-year-old player, Jorge Sanchez Vaca, who drowned in a canal in southwest Spain.
Vaca, who had played in the youth ranks for UD Las Palmas, was on the verge of joining the club's first team after a successful season at UD Jandia on the neighboring island of Fuerteventura.
According to a statement from UD Las Palmas, Vaca had been set to join the club's Youth A team next season, and the team was deeply saddened by his death.
The club's first team held a minute's silence for Vaca before their training session on Sunday, and his recent club UD Jandia described the incident as 'one of the saddest days in our club's history.'
Had Vaca made his first-team debut next season, he would have been one of the youngest ever to do so at UD Las Palmas, who most recently competed in La Liga between 2015 and 2018, managed by current Barcelona boss Quique Setien.
