Juan Pablo Vergara Martínez (24 February 1985 – 2 December 2019) was a Peruvian professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Career

Born in Lima, Vergara began his professional football career in 2003, when he debuted for Universitario de Deportes.^[2] He would then go on to play for various clubs in Peru such as Sport Áncash, CNI, César Vallejo, Sport Boys, Real Garcilaso, Inti Gas, Alfonso Ugarte de Puno, Los Caimanes, Atlético Minero, Sport Loreto, UTC and Deportivo Binacional.^[1] With Binacional, Vergara won the 2019 Torneo Apertura and qualified for the championship round of the 2019 Peruvian Liga 1 playoffs.^[3] However, a car accident a few days before the scheduled matches for the championship round resulted in his tragic death.^[4]

Death

On 2 December 2019, Vergara was involved in a car accident along with teammates Donald Millán and Jeferson Collazos.^[5] The three footballers were headed to Juliaca from Puno to train with Deportivo Binacional as preparation for their upcoming series of matches for the championship round of the 2019 Peruvian Liga 1 playoffs. Around 14:30 PET, Vergara's car flipped on the side of the Puno–Juliaca road due to slippery conditions caused by rain and hail.^[6] The three were helped out of the vehicle by local rescuers and taken to Clínica Americana, a clinic in Juliaca. Millán and Collazos were discharged unharmed but Vergara was in critical condition. Binacional then announced through its social media networks that blood donors were needed for surgical intervention. Hours later, the club announced the passing of Vergara. The clinic indicated through a press release that the impact of the steering wheel with Vergara resulted in "a severe massive hemorrhage in the left hemithorax." Vergara suffered a perforation of the liver by a broken rib, triggering a hemorrhage. Despite the early intervention of the doctors, the player died.^[7]

Career statistics

Honours

References