October 12, 2023 was a day that Spanish football will not be able to forget. Eighteen-year-old Alvaro Prieto López, a young talent from Cordoba CF, was found electrocuted in Seville, where he was spending an evening with friends. His death left a huge void in the Andalusian football community and brought to light a tragedy that affected the entire country.
Prieto was one of the brightest promises of Cordoba CF's youth team. With goals and physicality he was already considered a future point of reference for the club, and at the same time he was successfully studying his first year of Mechanical Engineering. His tragic fate began when, on the morning of October 12, he tried to reach the Santa Justa train station to catch the 7:20 train that would take him back to Cordoba in time for training. Due to a missed train, his smartphone had turned off and he had no cash or access to credit cards, leaving him isolated and unable to contact his parents.
Panicking, Prieto attempted to board a later train, but was stopped by security. The airport's cameras filmed him leaving the station at 9:30, the last visible frame of the young man alive. After four days of intense research, the most dramatic discovery occurred on October 16th during a live broadcast on RTVE: a camera randomly framed a pair of white shoes and beige trousers between two carriages of a moving train. The autopsy confirmed that the body was that of Prieto, who had never left the tracks.
According to the investigations, the young man had crossed the railway line to the San Jerónimo depot, where he had seen a train stopped and unused for months. He tried to climb or pass between the carriages, touching the pantograph. Although the train was turned off, the overhead line remained active at 3,500 volts, and a discharge electrocuted Prieto instantly, causing him to fall into a void where he remained hidden for 36 hours. The event shook the whole of Spain, with appeals from famous footballers and a collective mobilization to remember the talented young man.
Today, years later, the memory of Alvaro Prieto still lives in the hearts of Cordoba CF fans and those who love football. His death remains a painful warning about the dangers of railway lines and the fragility of life, reminding us that even the youngest can fall into tragic circumstances. The club continues to honor his memory, while the sporting community reflects on the need for greater safety and awareness.