A footballer who cheated death during a plane crash that killed 71 people – including all but two of his team-mates – has had a fairytale end to his career
A footballer who cheated death in a plane crash that killed 71 people has had a fairytale ending to his career. Alan Ruschel was just one of six survivors on LaMia Flight 2933, which crashed in Colombia in November 2016.
The plane had been carrying Brazil’s Chapecoense team to the final of the Copa Sudamerica – South America’s answer to the Europa League. The crash killed all but three members of the squad.
Ruschel suffered major injuries, and needed to learn how to walk again. However, he would return to play for Chapecoense, alongside fellow survivor Neto – who retired in 2019.
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Ruschel left Chapecoense in 2021, joining EC Juventude, and now, aged 37, he has hung up his boots. However, Ruschel had the perfect send off as he helped Juventude earn promotion to Brazil’s top tier.
Ahead of the game, he had been carried to the stadium on the shoulders of fans.
The full-back then came off the bench in 74th minute as Juventude held onto a 2-0 win over Botafogo. Ruschel then took a lap of honour around the Rio Grande do Sul as he waved goodbye one final time.
The plane crash was never too far from his mind, and he remembered the team-mates he had lost with an emotional post on social media ahead of the game: “Football has given me wonderful moments, but life has put me in front of challenges that I never imagined.
“November 29, 2016, a day that changed my life forever. That day, many dreams fell by the wayside. I lost friends, companions and people with whom I shared dreams and projects.
“And God gave me a second chance. I didn’t know if I would be able to play football again, but I believed that if I was here, there was still a purpose for my life.
“For many years, I struggled to make a living from football. Then, I had to fight to live football. And today, I have the privilege of being able to choose the moment to say goodbye.”
He added: “Life has taught me that we can’t always choose what happens to us, but we can choose how we handle each situation, and I chose to move on.”