Quévin Castro, Former West Bromwich Albion Midfielder, Dies at 25
West Bromwich Albion is in mourning after former midfielder Quévin Castro died at the age of 25, having collapsed on the pitch during a pre-season friendly in Portugal.
Castro was playing for Real Sport Clube, a lower-division side in Portuguese football, in a friendly 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 pays tribute to former midfielder
News of Castro’s passing quickly reached The Hawthorns. On Sunday, August 23, West Brom hosted Burnley in a home fixture that turned into a tribute as much as a league game.
Players wore black armbands. In the 25th minute, the stadium rose to applaud, a celebration of life timed to match his age. For a moment, the football stopped mattering. The noise was for Quévin.
"We are devastated to learn of the untimely passing of our former player Quevin Castro," the club said on social media, alongside a photo of the midfielder holding the Premier League Cup trophy. On its website, Albion added: "The thoughts of everyone at Albion are with Quevin’s loved ones at this desperately sad time."
A short Albion story, but a memorable one
Born in Portugal, Castro broke into West Brom’s first team in 2021. His debut came in the Carabao Cup against Arsenal, a night that marked the high point of years of work to reach senior level.
He featured in the Sky Bet Championship in 2022 against Swansea City, tasting league action for Albion after stepping up from youth football.
Castro also left his mark in the club’s academy history. He scored in West Brom’s U23 Premier League Cup final victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, a tense contest eventually settled by a penalty shootout. The image of him lifting the trophy in Albion colours is now one of the defining snapshots of his career.
West Brom had been relegated from the Premier League in 2021, a period of transition that opened doors for younger players. Castro was one of those who briefly stepped through.
Journeyman path before Portugal return
After leaving Albion, Castro’s career took him across the English football pyramid. He had spells with Burton, Notts County, Gateshead, York City, King’s Lynn, Chippenham, Cambridge City and Eastbourne, a route familiar to many professionals fighting to stay in the game.
This summer, he returned to his home country to sign for Real Sport Clube, hoping to rebuild and relaunch his career in Portugal.
That move has now become the final chapter of a life and career cut painfully short, leaving former clubs, team-mates and supporters in two countries asking the same question: what might he have gone on to become?
