Former Arsenal and Sevilla star Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a car crash on Saturday morning at the age of 35.
A statement from Sevilla’s English Twitter account read: ‘We couldn’t be confirming worse news. Beloved Sevilla star Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic collision. Rest in peace.’
Reyes was involved in a traffic collision in Utrera, the town of his birth located just outside of Seville.
He had been playing in the Spanish second-tier since January after signing a five-month deal with Extremadura.
Reyes started his career with hometown club Sevilla, making his first team debut at the age of 16.
He then signed for Arsenal during the 2003-04 campaign for around £15million and went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Community Shield. He was the first Spaniard to win the English title.
Reyes left north London to return to Spain with Real Madrid on loan before joining their rivals Atletico Madrid on a permanent deal in 2007.
He returned to Sevilla in 2012 and then represented Espanyol, Cordoba and Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard in China before signing for Extremadura in January.
Extremadura paid tribute to Reyes in a tweet, saying: ‘With a shrunken soul and a broken heart we announced the death of Jose Antonio Reyes in a traffic accident. We pray for his soul.’
AFP
