Jota, Reyes, Malanda, Deyna: famous and lesser-known footballers who died in car accidents

A cruel fate has struck many.
Articles 04 july 2025, 07:15
Liam Garcia Liam Garcia Dailysports's expert
Jota, Reyes, Malanda, Deyna: famous and lesser-known footballers who died in car accidents Getty Images

On the night of July 3, the life of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota was tragically cut short in a car accident. Sadly, the Portuguese striker is not the only footballer whose life the road has claimed. The Dailysports team invites you to remember others who met the same cruel fate.

José Antonio Reyes

We should start with the Sevilla legend, who died on June 1, 2019, under circumstances eerily similar to Jota’s. A Spanish road, another blown tire. But Reyes was speeding at 187 kilometers per hour.

After the tragedy, Reyes’ son was taken under the wing of Real Madrid and its president Florentino Pérez, and soon even trained with the first team of “Los Blancos.”

Juanito

Unfortunately, Spanish roads have claimed the lives of many footballers. On April 2, 1992, tragedy struck when Real Madrid fans’ idol Juanito lost his life.

He was part of the great Real Madrid team of the 1970s and 1980s, winning five La Liga titles and two UEFA Cups, though the European Cup eluded them. The former striker died after his playing days were over, returning home to Mérida after watching Real Madrid face Torino.

Kazimierz Deyna

The most outstanding Polish footballer of the 20th century, a bronze medalist at the 1974 World Cup and a member of the World XI that same year. Because of the Iron Curtain, Kazimierz Deyna’s achievements went largely unnoticed by many, but his legacy endures.

Deyna also died on the road, after his career had ended, at 41 years old. On September 1, 1989, while driving on a California highway, his car crashed into a truck. Deyna died at the scene, and traces of alcohol were found in his blood.

Gaetano Scirea

September 1989 proved to be truly dark. Just two days after Deyna’s death, another legend’s life ended—Juventus icon Gaetano Scirea. He had traveled to Poland to scout Górnik Zabrze, one of the Bianconeri’s UEFA Cup opponents.

The car carrying the Italian legend had a head-on collision with a parked fuel truck. The gasoline canisters caught fire, and all the passengers except for Górnik’s representative perished at the scene.

Georgi Asparuhov

While Hristo Stoichkov is considered Bulgaria’s most legendary footballer, public opinion in his homeland differs. In every poll, forward Georgi Asparuhov comes out on top—he died at the same age as Jota.

At just 22, Benfica tried to sign him, but the communist authorities blocked the move. So Asparuhov continued to shine at home, becoming a Levski legend. On June 30, 1971, a car carrying Georgi and his teammate Nikola Kotkov crashed into a truck that had pulled out from a side road at high speed. More than half a million people attended Asparuhov’s funeral.

Junior Malanda

Sadly, the youngest of those remembered here. The Belgian youth international midfielder’s life ended at just 20 years old. On January 10, 2015, the driver of the car carrying Malanda lost control due to poor weather, sending the vehicle into a ditch.

Malanda was thrown from the back seat and died instantly. Soon after, Wolfsburg retired his number 19 shirt, posthumously.

Josef Šural

The death of Czechia striker Josef Šural was the result of a tragic set of circumstances. After a match against Kayserispor, the Alanyaspor forward and several teammates opted not to take the team bus and instead hired a minivan.

The journey was long and at night, so there were two drivers. Both fell asleep, and the minivan veered off the road and overturned. The main impact was on the right side, where Šural was sitting. He was rescued, but on April 29, 2019, he died in hospital from his injuries.

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