Spanish footballer Reyes dies in a car crash

Jose Antonio Reyes died on Saturday morning in a car accident between his hometown of Utrera and Seville, in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia.

Real Madrid and Spain captain Sergio Ramos was one of the first to offers his condolences in a tweet. Ramos came through the youth system at FC Sevilla with Reyes and said: "Broken. Shattered. I have no words. All the affection for the family. We will always remember you, my friend! RIP brother."

Sevilla, where Reyes played in two separate spells, the second of which included a succession of Europa League triumphs, tweeted: "We couldn't be announcing any worse news. Our beloved former youth player Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic accident. Rest in peace."

Reyes, who also represented Atletico Madrid and Espanyol, was part of the Arsenal side that went an entire Premier League season unbeaten. The Gunners were also keen to pay their respects on Twitter. "Jose, who was part of the Invincibles team, was a hugely popular figure at our club and will always hold a special place in our hearts."

Perhaps Reyes' most famous contribution came for Real Madrid in the 2006/07 season to seal the La Liga title with two goals, after replacing David Beckham from the bench.

The winger was due to play for his current club, Extremadura, tomorrow. His last match was a 1-0 win at Alcorcon on May 18.

As a result of Reyes' passing, the Spanish football authorities suspended the last round of fixtures in the second division, which will now be played on Tuesday instead of Sunday.

UEFA also announced there would be a minute's applause at tonight's Champions League final in Madrid between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

jsi/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters, AP)