A YOUNG Mexican footballer said to have been murdered was given one final ‘goal celebration’ send-off from his friends and fellow players.
In an incredibly poignant moment, the friends and co-players of tragic ‘Alexander’ positioned his coffin to deflect a ball as if he had scored a goal – they then embraced his coffin in Oaxaca, prior to his burial – and all broke down in tears.
The ball is played into position near the coffin
It hits the coffin and goes into the goal
Friend celebrate Alexander’s ‘final goal’ in a tearful tribute
It was claimed that the 16-year-old Oaxaca football starlet was killed by municipal police.
More than 12 mourners stood around the coffin before running towards it and embracing it as if he had scored a goal.
After the video of the touching moment was published on social media, one watcher posted: “Friends like these. You can hear the anguish in their voices. Killed by police?”
The video of the terribly sad moment was uploaded onto the web by Mexican sports journalist Guillermo Schutz.
With a makeshift goal set up just feet from the coffin, the ball was played onto it before it went beyond a dive of a goalkeeper and into the goal in a powerful and painfully sad moment.
He posted the message, translated into English from Spanish: “In Oaxaca, this is how they bid Alexander a final goodbye, the 16-year-old teen murdered by municipal police.
“His teammates honour him with his last goal. We are all crying.”
Alexander’s funeral was held on Friday (June 11).
His friends set him up for last ‘last shot’ and ‘last goal’ before he was laid to rest.
They surrounded the coffin as if he had scored, crying uncontrollably.
Former UCLA hoops star Lorenzo Mata was so touched he shared it on Twitter.
This poignant act has been seen before in South America.
In 2017 in South America, friends set up a goal and acted out the same goal celebration.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
