Bernard Malanda-Adje: Dies at 20

Wolfsburg and Belgium U-21 midfielder Bernard Malanda-Adje; better known as Junior Malanda, has died in Germany following a car crash on Saturday night.

According to the Police, the 20 year old Malanda was a passenger in the car that crashed into a tree after clearing a guardrail on a motorway near the city of Bielefeld.

Malanda, who made 15 appearances for Wolfsburg this season, was on his way to meet up with Wolfsburg teammates ahead of a trip to South Africa for a training camp.

Wolfsburg Sporting Director Klaus Allofs stated ” We are all deeply saddened and our disbelief can hardly be put into words.”

Allofs added that “We can’t believe he is no longer with us. Our thoughts at this difficult time are with his family and loved ones.”

Teammates and other notable footballers have paid tribute to the Belgian, including Wolfsburg duo Kevin de Bruyne and Nicklas Bendtner as well as Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Bayern Munich’s Mario Götze, Everton striker Romelu Lukaku among others.