The sporting world has seen far too many bright talents and beloved professionals taken far too soon, their lives tragically cut short by road accidents.
These untimely deaths not only devastate families and fans, but also leave behind countless what-ifs in the history of their respective sports. The recent loss of Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota is a heartbreaking reminder of this cruel pattern.
Here is a list of athletes across different disciplines whose careers and lives were abruptly ended due to road accidents, starting with Jota and going back decades.
Football
- Diogo Jota (Portugal, 2025): The Liverpool forward died aged 28 in a car crash on 3 July in Zamora, Spain, just two weeks after marrying his long-time partner Rute Cardoso. His brother André, also a footballer, died in the same accident.
- Federico Pisani (Italy, 1997): The Atalanta striker, just 22, died in a road crash after a night out. His number 14 shirt was retired and part of Atalanta’s stadium now bears his name.
- Michael Millett (England, 1995): A Wigan Athletic youth player who had recently broken into the senior team, Millett died in a car crash aged 17.
- Jimmy Davis (England, 2003): On loan at Watford from Manchester United, Davis died aged 21 in a motorway accident.
- Ray Jones (England, 2007): The QPR striker died at 18, weeks after earning a Premier League opportunity. His number 31 shirt was retired.
- Junior Malanda (Belgium, 2015): The Wolfsburg midfielder died in a crash caused by speeding on a wet road. He was 20.
- Antonio Reyes (Spain, 2019): The former Arsenal and Sevilla winger died in a crash aged 35. His car was reportedly travelling at 237 km/h.
- Diego Montiel (Argentina, 2019): The 23-year-old midfielder died when his car flipped off the road.
- Tanvir Chowdhury (Bangladesh, 2018): A former national winger who suffered a serious head injury in a 2015 bus crash. He died on 9 October 2018 from long-term complications.
Cricket
- Manjural Islam Rana (Bangladesh, 2007): Rana, just 22, was seen as a future star. He died on 16 March in Khulna when his motorbike collided with a microbus.
- Mohammad Sajjadul Hasan Setu (Bangladesh, 2007): Rana’s teammate in domestic cricket, Setu also died in the same accident.
- Andrew Symonds (Australia, 2022): The two-time World Cup winner died on 14 May after his car rolled off the road near Townsville.
- Anushka Akhter Liza (Bangladesh, 2023): An emerging women’s cricketer from Barisal, Liza died in a motorbike accident involving a bus.
- Ben Hollioake (England, 2002): Aged 24, Hollioake died after losing control of his car in Perth. He was already capped for England in Tests and ODIs.
- Najeeb Tarakai (Afghanistan, 2020): Struck by a car while crossing the road in Jalalabad, he died days later at age 29.
- Runako Morton (West Indies, 2012): Morton died in a crash on the Solomon Hochoy Highway in Trinidad aged 33.
- Laurie Williams (West Indies, 2002): The ODI fast bowler died in a road accident in Jamaica.
Bangladeshi athletes in other sports
- Mahbub Alam (athletics, 2010): SAF Games gold medallist and the country’s fastest sprinter, died on 4 December when his microbus hit a stationary truck on the Dhaka–Chittagong highway.
- Mohamed Shah Alam (athletics, 1990): The national record-holding sprinter died in a motorcycle accident near Pabna on 29 May.
- Sohanur Rahman Sohan (handball, 2020): The national handball team goalkeeper died on 21 February when a three-wheeler collided head-on with his motorcycle in Kushtia.
Athletics
- Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya, 2024): The marathon world record holder died on 11 February aged 24 after his car struck a tree.
- Stephen Arusei Kipkorir (Kenya, 2008): The Olympic bronze medallist died in a road accident involving a military vehicle in Eldoret.
Basketball
- Dražen Petrović (Croatia, 1993): An NBA and European legend, Petrović died at age 28 in a crash in Germany while travelling as a passenger.
Tragic aviation crash
- Emiliano Sala (Argentina, 2019): The Cardiff City-bound striker died when his light aircraft crashed into the English Channel. His case highlighted serious safety issues in player transfers.