[1] Mainly a left midfielder who could also operate as an attacking left-back, he died on 28 August 2007 affected with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, three days after suffering a series of cardiac arrests during a La Liga game against Getafe on the 25th.

Born in Seville, Andalusia, Puerta joined Sevilla FC as a boy and spent a total of 14 years at the club,[3] growing up at its acclaimed youth system alongside other players such as Alejandro Alfaro, Kepa Blanco, Jesús Navas, Sergio Ramos and José Antonio Reyes.

On 25 August 2007, Puerta collapsed and lost consciousness in the penalty area due to a cardiac arrest during Sevilla's first La Liga fixture of the 2007–08 campaign at homeground Sánchez Pizjuán against Getafe CF.

[8] He was seen crouching and then subsequently collapsing upon moving back to his team's goal after only 35 minutes of the game had passed,[3] as teammates Ivica Dragutinović and Andrés Palop immediately ran to his side as he lost consciousness; moments later, club medical staff and other players followed suit.

[3] As a mark of respect, players from both Sevilla and city rivals Real Betis attended his funeral days after his death and, subsequently, FIFA ordered the installation of resuscitation rooms in every stadium that hosted the World Cup qualifiers.

Additionally, Sevilla's UEFA Super Cup game with A.C. Milan on 31 August went ahead, as a tribute to the player, with all 22 participants having the name 'PUERTA' printed on the back of their jersey.