Football has given the world countless moments of joy, passion, and unity. Yet, in the midst of glory and fame, tragedy sometimes strikes, reminding us how fragile life can be. Several footballers, despite their talent and bright futures, met untimely deaths due to car accidents. These heartbreaking incidents have left lasting voids in the football community.
In the context of this post, the tragic moments in football aren’t when your favourite football clubs lose crucial matches. It might also not seem tragic when elite clubs fail to qualify for a major competition you’d normally expect them to feature in. Even if we agree that a club losing its pivotal player to a season-long injury feels tragic (at least for the club), would it be as tragic as the death of a football player?
The death of a (professional) football player, especially under a circumstance as pathetic as a car accident, is undeniably tragic. Below is a list of the top 10 football players in the world who died as a result of car accidents, honoring their legacies and remembering the talents we lost too soon.
Diogo Jota and André Silva
At the time of writing this post, the death of Diogo Jota is without doubt one of the talking points in the football world. While that’s partly because Jota was a popular and prolific forward for Liverpool FC, in the world-famous English Premier League, the death appears more painful because it came only few days after Jota’s wedding, while also coinciding with the death of his brother, André Silva.
On July 3, 2025, the two footballer brothers died in a car accident in Spain. These deaths are indeed a great loss to the football world, and a vast number of fans and footballers have sent their condolences to Diogo Jota and André Silva’s family. Especially with respect to Jota’s death, numerous fans and footballers have commiserated with the Portugal national team and Liverpool FC.
Prior to his death, Jota was a prolific forward for both the Portugal national team and Liverpool FC. He had earned a great deal of plaudits not only for his fantastic teamplay, but also for his dexterity at scoring moment-defining goals.
Jose Antonio Reyes
Although he played at other clubs, including Sevilla and Real Madrid in Spanish La Liga, Reyes is most notable for his excellent stint at Arsenal. He is widely remembered by Arsenal fans as one of the pivotal players who helped the club achieve its unmatched “unbeaten” league title.
Arsenal went unbeaten in their 2003/04 EPL season, and Reyes was a major part of the great team that won the EPL league title through this unbeaten record. In his prime, Reyes was one of the well-admired technically gifted players in European football. He often served as a winger with great technique and excellent pace.
In June 2019, Reyes passed away in a car accident, and his unfortunate departure remains one of the memorable car accident-related deaths in the football world.
Laurie Cunningham
Laurie Cunningham died at the age of 33, and his death remains memorable especially for the England national team. Prior to his untimely and career-ending death, Cunningham played for popular football clubs –Manchester United and Real Madrid.
While Cunningham would be greatly remembered by the England national team as part of the first set of black players to represent the team at the senior level, we must admit that his untimely death in 1989 marked a huge loss for both England and the football club he was playing for at the time.
Juan Gómez González
Juan Gómez González –more commonly known as Juanito –is remembered as one of the football players who died by car accident. Although the death came shortly after Juanito’s retirement from professional football, it actually shook the football world, especially including the football club, Real Madrid, where Juanito was an iconic figure.
As a football player, Juanito demonstrated great commitment. He was only 37 when he died in a car accident in 1992. Perhaps for being an iconic figure with the Los Blancos, Juanito would be remembered by many Real Madrid fans.
Freddy Rincón
We were tempted to include this name in our list of the top 5 players in the world who died by car accident not only because Freddy Rincón is remembered as a legendary Colombian footballer, but also because he played for the world-famous Real Madrid.
Rincón was a fantastic midfielder who would also be remembered for his commanding presence. For Colombia and the football clubs where he played –but more especially for the Colombia national team –Rincón’s death in 2022 came as a great loss.
Emiliano Sala (Argentina) – 2019
Though technically not a car crash, Emiliano Sala’s tragic death in a plane crash that mirrored the suddenness and shock of road accidents deserves mention. The Argentine striker had just signed for Cardiff City when the aircraft carrying him crashed in the English Channel. Sala was 28 years old, and his passing sparked mourning across football communities worldwide.
Junior Malanda (Belgium) – 2015
At just 20 years old, Belgian midfielder Junior Malanda was seen as a rising star for Bundesliga club Wolfsburg. Tragically, he died in a car crash while on his way to join the team for training. Malanda was seated in the back of an SUV that skidded off a wet road. His loss deeply affected his teammates and fans around the world.
Davide Astori (Italy) – 2018
While Davide Astori, the Fiorentina captain, passed away from a cardiac arrest in his sleep, he is often mistakenly listed among players who died in car crashes due to earlier false reports. However, it’s important to clarify and honor his memory separately.
Marília (Brazil) – 2020
Brazilian defender Marília tragically lost his life in a car crash while returning from a match with his team. He had played for several Brazilian clubs, and his death shocked the local football community.
Clément Pinault (France) – 2009
Though the cause of death was ultimately heart failure, French footballer Clément Pinault was involved in a car crash just days before. The incident raised suspicions about its contribution to his later collapse and death. However, his inclusion in this list remains debated.
Conclusion
Recently or most recently, the coincidental deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva are the most-talked-about deaths in the football world. As implied earlier, the two brothers –Jota and Silva –died in a car accident in Spain. While the football world has paid condolences to their family, Jota’s death is particularly a great loss for Liverpool FC and the Portugal national team.
Until his death, Jota was an instrumental figure for both country and club; he not only played a crucial role in Liverpool’s league triumph in the 2024/25 EPL season, but also contributed to Portugal’s triumph at the recently-concluded 2025 UEFA Nations League. Diogo Jota, André Silva, and all the other players in our list of top players who died by car accident will be greatly remembered.