Agony of wife whose husband should be playing England in World Cup - but was shot dead outside their house

Amilcar Henriquez with his son. [Photo/Courtesy]

It is the most tragic story of the 2018 World Cup.

At 12.55pm on June 24, Gixiani Henriquez should be proudly watching her husband shake the hands of the England players before their crunch World Cup match.

Amilcar “Mickey” Henriquez should have been playing for his beloved Panama in the contest in Russia.

But Gixiani and their two children will not even be in the stadium.

Amilcar, who won 85 caps for his country and was one of their greatest ever players, was assassinated last year by a mystery gunman.

Gixiani heard the shots and ran outside their home to see the body of her husband lying on the driveway.

It was a murder that shocked a nation and illustrated the violent underbelly in this beautiful Central American country.

Gixiani, 27, invited the Mirror into the family home to speak for the very first time about the horrific killing which tore her family, and Panamanian football, apart.

She has never spoken before.

Fighting back the tears, she shows me the poignant “shrine” she has created in her front room.

There is her husband’s beloved “21” Panama shirt and several pairs of his prized football boots on display.

Amilcar and his wife and children. [Photo/Courtesy]

She is determined to keep Amilcar’s memory alive for their sons Amilcar Jnr, six, and two-year-old Abisaith.

Gixiani says sadly: “His life-time’s dream was to play in the World Cup Finals. I can’t believe he won’t be there.

“He would have loved to have been playing against England.

“And I would have been there to watch him and the children would have gone as well to see the moment their Daddy played against England.

“My son still thinks his daddy will come back and play.”

She adds: “I still think about him every day.”

I gently ask Gixiani exactly what happened on fateful April 15, 2017, when her husband was killed.

Days beforehand, he had played in a 1-1 draw against the United States in a World Cup game – a point which proved crucial in Panama’s qualification.

She recalls: “It was about 4.30pm in the afternoon.

“Amilcar went outside and then I heard the shots.

“I immediately feared the worst. I went outside and when I saw his body, I was paralysed. I was so shocked.”

The children were in the house, but luckily they didn’t see their father’s body on the floor outside.

“I managed to protect them from that. But I remember those few minutes so vividly.”

She goes on: “My husband had received a threat from a friend. He was demanding money from him.

“He was so worried he told me about it and he went to the police and told them and they told him ‘not to worry’. Not to worry – days later he was dead.

“One of the last things he said to me before he died was ‘make sure you take care of the kids. Stay strong for them’. He knew something was about to happen.

“I am furious that no one has been charged by the police. Amilcar was killed over a year ago and no one has been in court.”

Gixiani says she is struggling financially. I ask her if she had received any help from the Panama FA and his club Arabe Unido.

“Nada, nada, (nothing),” she replies angrily.

“I have to go to work every day, five days a week, to put food on the table for my family. It’s not easy. I have to make things stretch.

“Just living in this house brings back terrible memories every day. I’m frightened and I want to move, but I just can’t afford to.

“People living in the neighbourhood are still jealous because I was married to a famous footballer.

“It’s been very difficult. I’ve had very little support from the authorities.

“Amilcar played in Colombia for a while and they have been really good, helping with some money.”

As we sit on the sofa with her children running around her, Gixiani, who works in the local social security department, goes into her bedroom and brings out her wedding album.

“Look at this,” she says. “My wedding day was the happiest day in my life – and the day my husband was killed was the saddest.”

Gixiani declined to be drawn on whether the killing was gang related.

But I spoke to several close friends who said it was.

Alex Vega told me: “He was targeted by a gang. In Nuevo Colon, the New Town boys are the main gang. They sell the drugs.

“Half of them sell cocaine and the other half sell marijuana. He was killed because a family member took the wrong side in a drugs argument.

“He made the wrong choice and Amilcar paid for that decision with his life.

“I knew Amilcar. He lived very close to me. It was a drive-by shooting. The car drove past once and then came back and he was shot in the head.”

Pedro Gordon, president of Arabe Unido, had known Amilcar for 15 years.

He said: “The death of Mickey was a real tragedy. It was so shocking. He was a really good friend.

“He would have played against England, no doubt. He was a very good player and mentally very tough – very strong indeed. Panama is a dangerous place and Colon is a dangerous city.

“And nothing sums that up more than the death of Mickey.”

Amilcar’s grave is in the Parque del Recuero cemetery in the nearby village of New Italy.

A black-and-gold football has been placed on the grave. And his children have left a blue balloon with a message which reads simply: “I miss you Daddy.”

His country does, too.