Footballer, 19, killed in automotive crash as membership subject assertion on ‘immense unhappiness’
A teenage footballer, who was described as representing his club “to perfection”, has died in hospital after a car crash that left two others seriously injured
Teva Rodriguez was killed in a car crash(Image: Jam Press)
A promising teenage footballer has died after a horror car crash with his club issuing a heartbreaking tribute.
Teva Rodriguez was seen as a bright prospect on the verge of a senior breakthrough in France. The midfielder played in the Championnat National 1 – the fourth tier of French football – as the captain of Nîmes Olympique’s reserve team.
But the 19-year-old was involved in a fatal incident on the road between Dions and La Calmette near Nîmes City on July 5, when his car was in a crash with a van coming in the opposite direction. Three people, including the young midfielder, were seriously injured.
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Rodriguez was rushed to the University Hospital of Nîmes but could not be saved. He died from his injuries on Tuesday evening (July 7).
Rodriguez joined Nîmes from Uzès in 2012 and was appointed captain of the reserve side earlier this year, as reported by NeedToKnow.
The club announced the news on social media, expressing “immense sadness and profound pain”.
Mickaël Gas, who managed him with the U18s and reserves, described him as “exemplary on the pitch – a fighter – and incredibly kind off it”.
He added that Rodriguez “represented Nîmes Olympique to perfection” and that “it is impossible to find anyone who would say something negative about him”.
Dominique Sablier, his U13 coach, recalled him as a “true Nîmois” and “a number 6 in the style of former player Laurent Girard”.
The club changed its website crest to black in honour of the promising footballer’s untimely passing.
A police investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing.
