Yimvert Berroterán was 18 years old, had a place on the Venezuelan national team, and an entire career ahead of him.
On June 24, 2026, two earthquakes struck northern Venezuela 39 seconds apart —magnitude 7.2 and 7.5— and buried that future beneath the rubble of a building in the Los Corales sector, La Guaira. 💔
He was with his girlfriend, Valentina Sandoval. Both showed signs of life for hours, but help did not arrive in time. On June 27, the Venezuelan Football Federation confirmed what everyone feared: Yimvert and Valentina had died together among the rubble.
The midfielder had made his first-division debut that same year with UCV FC and was regularly called up to his country’s Under-17 and Under-20 national teams. 🕊️
“His passing plunges the entire Vinotinto family into mourning and leaves an indelible mark”, the FVF wrote. He was not the only one: other Venezuelan footballers also lost their lives in the catastrophe, considered the most devastating in more than a century. Yimvert never got to play in that World Cup he dreamed of. But those who saw him on the pitch say it was already clear that he was different.