FIREBALL CRASH
Jose Antonio Reyes dead at 35: Arsenal and Sevilla hero killed with cousin in ‘120mph’ Mercedes crash as he ‘drove home to wife and kids’
ARSENAL legend Jose Antonio Reyes died today in a "120mph" car crash as he reportedly made his way home to his wife and children.
Well-placed sources claimed the car was travelling at about 120mph — 50mph over the speed limit, local media reported.
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The 35-year-old was killed alongside his cousin as the Mercedes they were travelling in came off the road and burst into flames near his hometown.
TV footage showed the charred wreck of the Mercedes Brabus S550V on its roof by the A-376 motorway near Alcala de Guadaira.
The ex-Spanish international and Arsenal hero - who was part of the Gunners' Invincibles side that went unbeaten in the 2003/04 Premier League season - died near Seville, Spain.
His 23-year-old cousin Jonathan Reyes died, Spanish media reports, while another cousin, Juan Manuel Calderon, suffered 60 per cent burns and was taken to hospital after the car crashed at 11.45am.
Juan's condition is said to be "very serious".
It is understood the footballer was on his way home to his family after training, having not been picked for the match against Cadiz tomorrow, Spanish media reports.
No other vehicle was involved in the accident, which is thought to have occurred after Reyes came off the road at speed and hit some concrete blocks at the side of the motorway before his Mercedes rolled over several times and caught fire.
Local paper Diario de Sevilla reports the car became a ball of fire and said it is thought Reyes may have been driving at around 120mph before the vehicle came off the road.
Shocking pictures online claim to show the aftermath of the crash with black smoke billowing from a car lying on its roof.
Reyes leaves behind two daughters, Noelia, five, and Triana, two, with wife Noelia Lopez, and a son, 11-year-old Jose Antonio Jr, from a previous relationship.
Arsenal today lowered its flag to pay respect to Reyes as former manager Arsène Wenger said: "I am devastated to hear the terrible news about Jose. To his family and friends, all support from everyone in the Arsenal family.
"He will remain forever in our hearts."
Video from the scene of car crash which killed the footballer Jose Antonio Reyes
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The crash is thought to have happened just outside of Seville on a road between the city and Utrera, the town of Reyes' birth.
His former side Sevilla tweeted earlier today: "We couldn't be confirming worse news.
"Beloved Sevilla star Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic collision. Rest in peace."
A minute's silence will be observed later today at the Champions League final in Madrid in memory of Reyes, and seven matches in LaLiga have been postponed.
And Reyes' hometown Utrera has declared there will be two days of mourning and all flags in the town will be flown at half mast.
The town hall said in a statement: “This morning Utrera-born Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic accident on the A-376.
“Another relative of Jose Antonio’s has also died.
“Jose Antonio has been a much-loved person in our town since the start of his footballing career with Seville Football Club, always carrying the flag for Utrera.”
Jose Antonio Reyes scores amazing FA Cup goal for Arsenal against Chelsea in 2004
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Gary Lineker pays tribute to Jose Antonio Reyes ahead of the Champions League final
The town's mayor Jose Maria Villalobos said he felt “overwhelmed by this sad news and the fact a young person with a family has had his life taken away from him.”
Reyes married Noelia in June 2017 - she posted on Instagram just five days ago to celebrate their eight-year anniversary.
She shared a picture of the two of them smiling as they happily posed for the camera, with the message: "Where you do not ask for anything and they give you everything. There it is.
"And I understood that everyone is where they want to be and who they want to be with. Happy 8 years my love."
Also confirming the tragic news, Arsenal posted: "Everyone at Arsenal is devastated by the shocking news that our former player Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic collision in Spain. Rest in peace, Jose."
Thierry Henry led the tributes as he tweeted: "I’m devastated to hear the sad news about José Antonio Reyes. Wonderful player, superb team mate and exceptional human being. I wish his family and friends continued strength and courage to get through this difficult time."
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Arsenal boss, Unai Emery, who coached Reyes at Sevillia, posted: "Deeply sad and speechless after hearing this tragic news. I will never forget your magic and your smile Jose, never.
"It was an honour to be by your side ... a big hug and all the spirit of the world to family, friends and clubs he represented. RIP friend."
While Freddie Ljungberg added: "Numbed by the news about my former team-mate, Jose Antonio Reyes. Gone far too soon, my thoughts are with his family and friends."
Cesc Fabregas posted on Instagram: "My first great friend in the world of professional football, my roommate, who always wanted to sleep with the air conditioning even at -10 degrees.
"A humble guy who always had a smile on his face, great footballer and great person. I could not wake up today in a worse way.
"I will never forget when you and your family welcomed me at your home in my first Christmas in England when I was alone and was 16 years old."
Arsenal fan Piers Morgan added: "Desperately sad & shocking news... Jose Antonio Reyes, whose crucial late season goals helped Arsenal become the ‘Invincibles’ in 2004, has been killed in a car crash aged just 35. RIP."
This afternoon sick trolls changed Reyes' Wikipedia profile to "benchwarmer" moments after the tragic news of his death was announced - the description was swiftly changed back.
Reyes burst onto the scene at Sevilla at the age of 16, where he became the club's youngest player to make his first team debut.
His standout performances caught the eye of Arsene Wenger, who brought him to Highbury in January 2004 in a deal rising to £17m.
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Jose Antonio Reyes honours
Sevilla
- Segunda Division: 2000/01
- UEFA Europa League: 2013/14, 2014/15, 2015/16
Arsenal
- Premier League: 2003/04
- FA Cup: 2004/05
- FA Community Shield: 2004
Real Madrid
- La Liga: 2006/07
Atletico Madrid
- UEFA Europa League: 2009/10, 2011/12
- UEFA Super Cup: 2010
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2007
Benfica
- Taca da Liga: 2008/09
He endeared himself to the Gunners faithful straight away - netting a superb double against Chelsea to knock them out of the FA Cup.
Reyes scored five times before the close of the 2003/04 campaign where he became the first Spaniard to win the Premier League title after forging a formidable partnership with Henry.
After helping the club win the FA Cup and Community Shield the following year, Reyes joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2006 after banging in 23 goals in 110 games for Arsenal.
Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos, who like Reyes came up through the youth ranks at Sevilla and played alongside him for Spain and Madrid, also expressed his sadness.
"Broken. Shattered. I have no words," Ramos wrote in Spanish on Twitter. "All the love to the family. We'll always remember you, friend! RIP brother."
Reyes was also influential in helping the North London side reach the Champions League final in 2006, where Barcelona emerged victorious.
And just like he did with the Gunners supporters, he became a firm fan favourite at the Bernabeu after playing a key role in Los Blancos winning their first La Liga title in four years.
He came off the bench to replace David Beckham on the final day of the season against Mallorca where he netted twice to win the title for Real.
Reyes them completed a move to Real's rivals Atletico Madrid in 2007 - where he featured in 155 games as he helped them to win two Europa League titles.
He enjoyed a loan spell at Benfica during the 2008/09 season where he won the Portuguese League Cup.
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After falling down the pecking order at Atletico, he rejoined boyhood club Sevilla, where he was part of Unai Emery's squad that won three consecutive Europa League titles.
He then joined Espanyol, before moving to Cordoba and then taking the plunge to China where he played for Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard.
Reyes returned back to Spain in January where he signed for second division side Extremadura.
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