West Bromwich Albion Mourns Quevin Castro's Untimely Death

West Bromwich Albion is in mourning after former midfielder Quevin 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 proudly holding the Premier League Cup trophy from his time with the club’s U23s.

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

His standout moment in Albion colours came with the club’s U23s, when he scored in their Premier League Cup triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers, a final ultimately settled by a penalty shootout. It was the kind of occasion that hinted at a promising future.

A poignant tribute at The Hawthorns

West Brom paid their respects on Sunday, August 23, during their home game against Burnley.

Players wore black armbands. The stadium fell into a different kind of silence, the sort that hangs heavy, before rising in applause in the 25th minute — a minute chosen to mark Castro’s age. It became a celebration of life as much as a moment of grief, supporters standing to honour a player who had worn their colours, however briefly.

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

A career on the move, a life cut short

Castro had returned to his homeland this summer to join Real Sport Clube after a nomadic spell in English football. His journey took him to Burton, Notts County, Gateshead, York City, King’s Lynn, Chippenham, Cambridge City and Eastbourne, a trail that underlined both his determination to make a career in the game and the unforgiving reality of professional football outside the elite.

Now, that journey ends far too soon, with questions left hanging over what might have been for a midfielder whose name will echo around The Hawthorns every time the clock ticks to 25.