Wolfsburg midfielder Junior Malanda passes away
Saturday, January 10, 2015
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VfL Wolfsburg are mourning the death of Belgian U21 international Junior Malanda, who passed away aged 20 following a road accident near Porta Westfalica on Saturday.
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VfL Wolfsburg are mourning the death of Belgian Under-21 international midfielder Junior Malanda, who passed away at the age of 20 on Saturday afternoon.
Malanda was killed in a road accident near Porta Westfalica. He was due to travel to a training camp in South Africa with his team-mates on Saturday evening, but Wolfsburg subsequently cancelled the flight.
"We are all deeply shocked and can hardly express our disbelief," said Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs. "We all loved him. He was the soul of our team and a fun-loving person. We still cannot believe that he is no longer with us. Our thoughts in these difficult times are with his family and relatives."
Malanda joined Wolfsburg from SV Zulte Waregem at the start of last year and went on to score two goals in 17 Bundesliga appearances. He featured in three UEFA Europa League group stage games this term and played seven times in Belgium's UEFA European U21 Championship qualifying campaign. Fellow countryman and club-mate Kevin De Bruyne said on Twitter: "I have lost a big friend. Rest in peace, you will always be with us."
