GONE TOO SOON

World Cup Soccer Player Found Dead at 25

The soccer star was representing his country at the tournament just weeks before his death.

A South African soccer player who just featured for his country at the World Cup has been found dead at the age of 25. Jayden Adams, a midfielder, was found dead at a hotel in Cape Town, reports the Daily Mail, though his cause of death has not been released. In a statement, the South African Football Players Union described Adams’ passing as “an immeasurable loss to his family, teammates, clubs, the football fraternity and the country at large.” He played in all three of South Africa’s group stage matches, including the tournament’s opening fixture against Mexico. Adams reportedly reposted a photograph with his girlfriend, Aqueelah Adendorf, on Instagram less than 24 hours before news of his death emerged. “South African football has lost a gifted player, a proud servant of the game and a young life that still had so much to offer,” the union’s statement continued. Adams is believed to have been mourning the loss of his grandmother, who died a day before South Africa’s match against Czechia.