Football is mourning: In Argentina, any help for Andrés Balanta comes too late. The 22-year-old professional collapses in training and cannot be revived. Clubs and associations offer their condolences to the survivors of the former junior international.
22-year-old Andrés Balanta collapsed and died during a training session with Argentinian first division soccer team Atlético Tucumán. "Atlético Tucumán regrets to confirm the death of Colombian footballer Andrés Balanta," the club said on Twitter. "Of course we will support his family, his team-mates and his friends." Nothing is currently known about the cause of death.
As "futbolred.com" reports, Balanta received immediate medical attention and was taken to a hospital, but in the end any help came too late. Attempts were made to revive the midfielder for 40 minutes, but tragically without success.
Balanta became Colombian champion in 2021 with Deportivo Cali. He had previously worked through various youth sections of the national team and was part of Colombia's squad for the 2019 U20 World Cup, which reached the quarter-finals of the tournament in Poland, where they were eliminated by eventual world champions Ukraine. According to Transfermarkt.de, he once captained the Colombian U23s in qualifying for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Most recently, Balanta was loaned to Atlético Tucumán from Deportivo Cali. He played seven games for the club from north-west Argentina. His home club from Colombia was dismayed at the young footballer's sudden death and offered condolences to the family before closing with the words: "Rest in peace, champion." The Colombian Football Association expressed its condolences, while the Argentine Football Association captioned its message with the words "deep pain".
