West Bromwich Albion Mourns Former Player Quévin Castro

West Bromwich Albion is in mourning after former midfielder Quévin Castro died at the age of 25, having collapsed on the pitch during a friendly in Portugal.

Castro was playing for Real Sport Clube, a lower-division side in Portuguese football, in a pre-season match against Estrela da Amadora on Saturday, August 22, when he suddenly collapsed. The Lisbon Football Association and Real Sport Clube later confirmed on social media that he had died.

No cause of death has been made public.

Albion grieves a former talent

At The Hawthorns, the news hit hard.

"We are devastated to learn of the untimely passing of our former player Quevin Castro," West Brom said in a statement, posted alongside a photograph of the midfielder holding the Premier League Cup trophy from his time with the club’s U23s.

Castro, born in Portugal, broke into West Brom’s first team in 2021. He made his senior debut in a Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal and went on to feature in the Sky Bet Championship the following year, appearing against Swansea City.

His standout moment in Albion colours came in the Premier League Cup with the U23s, when he scored in a tense final against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The game was ultimately settled by a penalty shootout, with Castro part of a young group that lifted the trophy and hinted at a promising future.

A tribute in the 25th minute

West Brom, relegated from the Premier League in 2021 and now battling in the Championship, turned Sunday’s home fixture against Burnley into a quiet act of remembrance.

Players wore black armbands. Supporters rose to applaud in the 25th minute, a simple gesture chosen to mark Castro’s age. It became a celebration of life as much as a moment of grief, The Hawthorns united in one prolonged ovation for a player whose time with the club had been brief but memorable.

"The thoughts of everyone at Albion are with Quevin’s loved ones at this desperately sad time," the club added in a message on its website.

A career on the move

Castro’s path through the game had been a restless one, the kind of journey many young professionals know well.

After leaving West Brom, he spent time with Burton, Notts County, Gateshead, York City, King’s Lynn, Chippenham, Cambridge City and Eastbourne, searching for a foothold and regular football. This summer, he returned to his home country to sign for Real Sport Clube, hoping to relaunch his career in Portugal.

That move was supposed to be a new start. Instead, it became the final chapter.

As the tributes continue from former clubs, teammates and supporters, one question lingers over English and Portuguese football alike: how does a game so full of life keep making sense of losing someone so young, in the middle of the pitch where he felt most at home?