For several years now, football has provided us with memorable and incredibly emotional tributes in memory of former players or athletes who have unfortunately passed away, such as was done following Kobe Bryant’s tragic death at the start of the year. Football is much more than a sport in some countries and when it comes to the death of a young, well-known player, we see tributes that are even more heart-wrenching. But Mexico has probably just given us the most unexpected tribute of all time…
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Immortal striker
Alexander Martinez Gomez was just a 16-year-old footballer with a very promising career ahead of him. On June 10, the young man was shot on this day by the local police in Acatlán while he was riding a motorcycle. This shooting, which appears to have happened for no particular reason, quickly sparked a mass of protests to take down Mayor Pérez Figueroa and the local police who have previously been accused of being involved in corruption and murder.
Although the situation was still rather tense, it was still necessary to honour the memory of such a talented young player and pay tribute to him with a special homage. And so, they performed the most amazing burial ceremony we have ever seen. To honour his memory, Alexander Martinez’s teammates decided to take his coffin to the city stadium… so that he could score his final goal.
You really have to see it to believe it, but in the footage, you can witness his teammates doing a few passes among themselves before then passing the ball to the coffin. The ball then rebounded off the coffin and into the back of the net, resulting in a collective celebration worthy of a World Cup final. Alexander Martinez scored his final goal for his team… and what a goal it was!
Although a lot of people were clearly moved by such an emotional tribute in which all the players crowded around the coffin to mourn, pray and cry, others questioned whether it was really appropriate. Taking a coffin to a football field and kicking a ball at it… this kind of memorial could easily be taken the wrong way and be seen as very controversial in other countries. Whether you were shocked or moved, we’ll let you make your own mind up about a story as unusual as this footballer’s final goal from beyond the grave.
