On Saturday, Wolfsburg midfielder Junior Malanda, aged 20, was tragically killed in a car accident on his way to a training camp in Hannover.
Malanda, a Belgian youth team international, was a passenger of a Volkswagen Touareg when the car flew off the motorway before flipping over several times in west Germany, as stated by the police.
"The car broke through the right guardrail, hit a tree and flipped over several times in the embankment. The car came to a stop on its roof. One person was thrown out of the vehicle by the accident and died at the scene," police revealed. "This was the 20-year-old Belgian Bundesliga player of VFL Wolfsburg, Bernhard Geoffrey Malanda Adje."
20-year-old Wolfsburg midfielder Junior Malanda dies in a car accident on Saturday
This heartbreaking accident occurred as Malanda was preparing to travel to his Bundesliga side's training camp in South Africa, a trip Die Wölfe have canceled in the wake of his death.
The club's sporting director Klaus Allofs expressed deep sorrow in Saturday's tragedy, whilst passing on condolences to deceased's family, saying:
“We are all deeply saddened and our disbelief can hardly be put into words. We all loved him. 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.
"We still cannot believe that he is no longer with us. Our thoughts at this difficult time are with his family and loved ones."
Friends, team-mates, compatriots all took time to pay their respect to the late Junior Malanda
So sad R.I.P. Junior Malanda pic.twitter.com/qf2kQrLvke
— Marco Reus (@woodyinho) January 10, 2015
R.I.P Junior #Malanda pic.twitter.com/s1w1t8LElG
— Klaas Jan Huntelaar (@KJ_Huntelaar) January 10, 2015
Ruhe in Frieden Junior Malanda. Rest in Peace Junior, my thoughts are with the family! #Malandapic.twitter.com/xdWzKzsjCl
— Holger Badstuber (@Badstuber) January 10, 2015
RIP @JuniorMalanda !! We lose a huge talent and a great person!!
— Thibaut Courtois (@thibautcourtois) January 10, 2015
Very sad to hear of death in a car accident of 20-year-old Wolfsburg player Junior Malanda.
— Ian Darke (@IanDarke) January 10, 2015
@VfL_Wolfsburg our thoughts and prayers go out to Junior Malanda. N to Wolfsburg. What a terrible tragedy. Football is with you on this day.
— Jake Arsenal (@JakeArsenal1) January 10, 2015
rip junior malanda, had the potential to become a big player in the future pic.twitter.com/oChnM2xXZy
— harls (@hjstammers) January 10, 2015
Malanda, who has appeared for Wolfsburg 10 times this season in the Bundesliga, moved to the Volkswagen Arena in January of last year from Belgian Pro League club Zulte Waregem.
