A 16-year-old Red Bulls prospect died just days before he was scheduled to join the organization, the club confirmed on Tuesday.
Éder Smic Valencia was killed in a car crash on Sunday in his native Colombia, while he was on holiday in Guachene, in the southwest part of the country.
Valencia was days away from joining Red Bulls II — the organization’s development team — when the vehicle he was traveling in was involved in a collision with a tanker truck, according to multiple reports.
Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported that the accident happened on Sunday morning when the tanker truck driver attempted to improperly pass in a passage of road that handles a high flow of heavy cargo.
The rising soccer star had been in a gray car when the tragedy happened and he died at the scene.
Local authorities have opened an investigation into what caused the accident.
“Our thoughts are with all of Éder’s family, friends and teammates. Rest in peace,” the Red Bulls said in a statement on Tuesday.
Valencia had played with the NYRB U16s earlier this season and he was headed to the United States later this week to sign a deal with the Red Bulls.
He had been expected to play for the Colombian under-17 national team at next year’s South American Championship.
Valencia had stints with Cortuluá, Barranquilla FC, la selección Atlántico and Academia Alemana Popayán (AAFP).
“He had achieved nearly 80% of his goals,” Éder Valencia, the father of Éder Smic Valencia, told El Tiempo. “He was a top scorer for every team he played for, was on the Colombian national team, and was about to travel to North America. It’s very sad that my son lost his life in a car accident at 16.”
AAFP had first announced his death in a statement on Sunday.
“We, along with his family, will honor his memory at the AAFP. He will forever be in our hearts,” the statement read.
More than 3,000 people attended his wake in Guachené, El Tiempo reported.
