Guo Jiaxuan and his U21 teammates Beijing Guoan went to Spain for training under a program of the Beijing Football Federation, playing a friendly match against Alcobendas last week.
In this practice match, Guo Jiaxuan unfortunately suffered a head injury after colliding with an opponent's knee on February 7.
Guo's brother revealed on social media that doctors in Madrid had diagnosed the 18-year-old player with "brain death".
"During the practice session, my younger brother was taken to the hospital for emergency treatment after being hit in the head by another player's knee. From the interpreter, I know that the doctor at the hospital said that my younger brother was bleeding too much from the head and that the hope of survival was very low... The hospital will remove Guo's breathing tube," Guo's brother wrote on his personal page.
Guo's father is said to have rejected the doctor's request to turn off the device to support his son's life. He wants to bring his son back to China in the hope of being able to cure him.
The South China Morning Post reported that Guo's family also accused the Beijing Football Federation and Beijing Guoan club of failing to pay his medical bills. In particular, the Beijing Football Federation did not buy insurance for the trip.
After that, the Federation agreed with the family to bring Guo back to China, and at the same time supported continued treatment.
Guo previously played for China U17 and was invited to train with Bayern Munich in 2023 in an international project to develop promising players around the world.
After the match ended with the unfortunate incident, the Spanish team RC Alcobendas sent their condolences to Guo and his family.
"On behalf of RC Alcobendas, we would like to express our concern for the player from the Beijing Football Federation, who had an accident in a friendly match with our first team."
"I would like to send all the best wishes to you, your family and the club at this difficult time. We sincerely wish him a speedy recovery," wrote RC Alcobendas's homepage.