Tragic death of Cuban handball player in Portugal

February 27, 2021

The Porto club confirmed the death of Cuban handball player Alfredo Quintana and sports in Portugal are in mourning, as reflected by press outlets such as Tribuna Expreso, Ionline and JM Madeira.

Through its Twitter account, the Porto team informed of the death of the Cuban-Portuguese goalkeeper after five days fighting for his life at São João hospital as a result of a cardiorespiratory arrest during early-week training.

'The message we never thought we would share: Our beloved Alfredo Quintana is gone today. You will be remembered forever as one of ours. A true dragon. Rest in peace, eternal Quintana!', Porto highlighted when communicating the news.

Another tweet published by the team exemplifies the legacy of the player born 32 years ago in Cuba, while expressing the mission of telling 'those who have not seen the stories, the defenses, the matches and the privilege it was to have Alfredo Quintana defending our goal'.

The local press recognized the Cuban's contribution to the triumphs of Portugal's national team and paid him honors through headlines such as 'Alfredo Quintana (1988-2021): the pinnacle of the extraordinary warrior'; 'Alfredo Quintana, goalkeeper of FC Porto and the handball team, has passed away'.

Tribuna Expreso dedicated words of praise to the handball player trained on the Caribbean island, recognizing that 'at first he liked basketball, volleyball and baseball, but it was handball that took him to Porto and to FC Porto'.

Likewise, the sites Ionline and JM Madeira echo Quintana's 11 seasons in Portuguese handball and his performance in the sixth place at Euro 2020 and tenth place at the 2021 World Cup.

Quintana has represented Portugal's national team since 2014, after participating with Cuba's team in Pan American competitions and the 2009 World Championship.