Belgian footballer Junior Malanda dies in car crash, aged 20

Belgian Under-21 midfielder Bernard Malanda-Adje, nicknamed Junior Malanda, died yesterday Jan. 10th in a car crash in Germany. The VfL Wolfsburg footballer died when a car he was traveling in as a passenger crashed on a motorway near the German city of Bielefeld. He was on his way to the airport to meet up with his team-mates to fly out to South Africa for a training camp. He was just 20.

Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs said in a statement:

"We are all deeply saddened and our disbelief can hardly be put into words. We can't believe he is no longer with us. Our thoughts at this difficult time are with his family and loved ones. He was the good spirit of our team and a fun-loving person. In addition, Junior was an excellent football player who was only at the very beginning of his development."

Junior Malanda made 15 appearances for the German Bundesliga side this season. His last game was a 2-1 win over Cologne on 20 December. May his soul rest in peace, amen.