FORMER Arsenal star Jose Antonio Reyes was driving at 116mph when his “back-left tyre exploded” leading to his fatal car crash.
Reyes, 35, was killed on June 1 2019 while driving in his Mercedes S 550 with two cousins.
Football was left in mourning last year when Spanish star Jose Antonio Reyes was killed in a car crashCredit: Getty Images – Getty
It has been doscovered that Reyes was travelling at 116mph before the tyre burstCredit: EPA
The accident not only claimed his life but also that of another passenger whilst leaving his other cousin covered in burns to 60 per cent of his body.
According to Spanish radio network ‘Cadena SER’ the “conclusion the Civil Guard who studied the accident have reached” is the former winger was driving at “at least at 187 kph (116 mph) when his back-left wheel of his Mercedes S 550 exploded.”
The report goes on the mention the wheel that malfunctioned and led up to the accident was “repaired by his cousin a few days before at a garage in Merida” in southern Spain.
News of the accident shocked football fans, however, the exact circumstances leading up to it remained unclear.
COUSIN ALSO LOST LIFE
Initial reports by local media claimed the former winger was travelling at a speed of 147 mph.
Ensuing reports later claimed Reyes was not driving at such an excessive speed but the incident was caused by a problem with his back-left wheel.
Reyes and his cousin Jonathan Reyes, 23, were killed in the crash on the A-376 motorway near the town of Alcala de Guadaira in southern Spain.
His other cousin Juan Manuel Calderon suffered serious burns after trying to save the pair from the vehicle while it was ablaze.
Reyes was the first Spanish player to win the Premier League with Arsenal, where he was also immortalised as an ‘Invincible’ from their 2003-04 unbeaten season.
He was also a La Liga champion with Real Madrid and a three-time Europa League winner with Sevilla.
He left a wife, two daughters and a son behind.
Reyes was idolised by Sevilla fans who saluted their hero at his untimely deathCredit: Reuters
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk