Antonio Puerta
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Antonio José Puerta Pérez | ||
| Date of birth | 26 November 1984 | ||
| Place of birth | Seville, Spain | ||
| Date of death | 28 August 2007 (aged 22) | ||
| Place of death | Seville, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Wingback | ||
| Youth career | |||
| AD Nervión | |||
| 1993–2002 | Sevilla | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2005 | Sevilla B | 69 | (6) |
| 2004–2007 | Sevilla | 55 | (5) |
| Total | 124 | (11) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2005 | Spain U21 | 5 | (0) |
| 2005 | Spain U23 | 5 | (2) |
| 2006 | Spain | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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Antonio José Puerta Pérez (26 November 1984 – 28 August 2007) was a Spanish footballer who played solely for Sevilla.
Mainly a left midfielder who could also operate as an attacking left back, he died on 28 August 2007 affected with arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia, three days after suffering a series of cardiac arrests during a La Liga game against Getafe on the 25th.
Puerta won five major titles with his only club.
Born in Seville, Andalusia, Puerta joined Sevilla FC as a boy and spent a total of 14 years at the club, growing up at the club's acclaimed youth system alongside other players such as Alejandro Alfaro, Kepa Blanco, Jesús Navas, Sergio Ramos and José Antonio Reyes. His La Liga debut came on 21 March 2004, as he played 71 minutes in a 0–1 home defeat against neighbours Málaga CF.
Definitely promoted to the first squad for the 2005–06 season, Puerta became intimately connected to Sevilla's history on 27 April 2006, when he scored against FC Schalke 04 in the semifinals of the UEFA Cup: in the final moments of the match, he received a long ball and struck it with his left foot for the 1–0 final (and aggregate) win – Sevilla went on to collect five titles in fifteen months, with Puerta scoring his penalty shootout attempt in the 2007 UEFA Cup final, against compatriots RCD Espanyol; his impressive performances earned him international recognition and reported interest from Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Madrid, but all bids were rejected.
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