
Football
Share
Published 14:36 1 Mar 2025 GMT
Updated 10:25 2 Mar 2025 GMT

Former Juventus and Racing Santander player Nico Hidalgo has passed away aged 32 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer.
Tributes have poured in for the former Juventus academy star with former club Cadiz saying: 'Nico Hidalgo has left us. We will never forget your smile and your joy. Your struggle is our example. Rest in peace"
Racing Santandar also paid tribute to their former midfielder and they will honour him with a minute's silence ahead of their La Liga clash with Elche on Sunday.
A club statement read: "Real Racing Club regrets the death of its former footballer Nico Hidalgo , who played 73 official matches with the green and white shirt between 2018 and 2020.
"The Cantabrian club joins in the pain of his family and friends for this irreparable loss, while sending its most sincere condolences and announcing that it will observe a minute of silence in his memory before the LaLiga Hypermotion match that its first team will play against Elche CF at the Campos de Sport tomorrow Sunday, March 2, at 9:00 p.m."
⚫️ El Real Racing Club, consternado por el fallecimiento de su exfutbolista Nico Hidalgo https://t.co/e9qlLMh7WV pic.twitter.com/nrVGBTiat7
— Real Racing Club (@realracingclub) March 1, 2025
Hidalgo began his career with his local team Motril CF, where he made 40 appearances before joining Granada in 2012.
He moved to Italian giants Juve in 2014 but failed make a single appearance for the Italian giants during his three year spell in Turin. He returned to Spain permanently in the summer of 2017 following loan spells with Granada and Cadiz.
The defender closed out his career with stints with Racing Santander and Extremadura, who no longer exist, before retiring after learning of his diagnosis.

Football

Why bizarre crisis could force top European league to replay over 100 matches
This is ridiculous… Football in the Netherlands lately has been at the centre of a crisis, involving clubs scrambling for legal advice and information, while the Dutch football association (the KNVB) is seeking urgent clarification on the eligibility of several players. The crisis has been caused as a result of a confusion about dual nationality, […]
Football
1 day ago
The SportsJOE Friday Pub Quiz: Week 138
Another big teaser! The SportsJOE Friday Pub Quiz is back, and this week 10 is the score to beat. We are covering all the usual stuff with championship GAA, Champions League, and Irish provinces in Europe, with a few extra bits and bobs! You will have to have followed the last week of sport very […]
Football
1 day ago
Football
Irish pundit has bizarrely contrarian take after PSG v Bayern classic
Football