The football community has suffered devastating losses over the years due to fatal car accidents. These incidents remind us that behind the talent and fame are fragile lives. Here are ten footballers who died young behind the wheel:
1. Diogo Jota (Portugal/Liverpool)
At just 28, Jota and his brother André Silva died in a crash in Zamora, Spain, when a blown tire caused their Lamborghini to veer off the road and catch fire. He leaves behind a wife and three children .
2. André Silva (Portugal/Penafiel)
Jota’s younger brother, 25, also a professional footballer, died alongside him in the same accident .
3. José Antonio Reyes (Spain)
The former Arsenal, Real Madrid, and Sevilla winger died in a high-speed crash in June 2019 in Seville .
4. Federico Pisani (Italy/Atalanta)
A promising striker, Pisani died in a crash in 1997 at age 22. Atalanta later retired his number 14 in his honor .
5. Junior Malanda (Belgium/Wolfsburg) The Belgian midfielder died in Germany in January 2015. Wolfsburg retired his number 19 jersey in tribute .
6. Laurent Verbiest (Belgium/Anderlecht) Verbiest, a Belgian international defender, was killed in a car accident in February 1966 at age 26 .
7. Ray Jones (England/QPR)
The young striker died in East Ham in 2007 at just 19, only 23 days after getting his driver’s license .
8. Jason Mayélé (DR Congo/Chievo)
The Congolese forward died in 2002 en route to catch a team bus; his number 30 was retired by Chievo in his honor .
9. Vincent Sattler (France/Strasbourg)
A bright centre-back prospect for Strasbourg, he tragically died in a road accident at age 19 in 1988 .
10. Carlos Muñoz (Ecuador/Barcelona SC) Though older (d. 1993), his high-speed car crash is among the most remembered in Ecuadorian football history .
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