Romelu Lukaku is in mourning after his best friend, Wolfsburg midfielder Junior Malanda, was killed in a car accident.
According to reports in Germany, the Belgium Under-21 international died after the car he was a passenger in crashed on a motorway near Porta Westfalica in north-west Germany on Saturday afternoon. Bild newspaper said the two other people in the vehicle had been taken to hospital with serious injuries after the car left the road and crashed into a tree amid heavy rain and wind.
Lukaku, 21, grew up with Malanda and considered him part of his family. The tragic news was broken to him after Everton’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Goodison, and the striker took to social media to express his grief. He posted a picture of himself with Malanda on his Instagram page and wrote, ‘Junior why you my brother? My brother, one of my unique friends. I cannot believe it. ‘Tears are flowing since I learned the horrible news. Nothing will be the same for Jordan and I. We have always been together. 'Junior, I never thought I would write this sentence .. Rest in peace my brother’.
A statement on
www.belgianfootball.be read: “The football world today lost a great talent. Junior Malanda lost his life this afternoon, at the age of 20.
“The Belgian Football Association extends its sympathy to family and friends.” Malanda, who joined the Bundesliga club from Belgian side Zulte Waregem in 2013, had reportedly been due to fly to South Africa on Saturday night for Wolfsburg’s winter training camp.
Wolfsburg have yet to confirm the news on their website but forward Kevin De Bruyne - a club-mate and countryman of Malanda - wrote on Instagram: “So strange to hear your friend in the morning and then hear this news. Lost a great friend way to (sic) early. Rest in peace my friend. You will always be around.”
Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also paid his respects on Twitter, saying: “RIP @JuniorMalanda!! We lose a huge talent and a great person!!”
