Former Spanish footballer Jose Antonio Reyes was driving his car at 187kph when the back-left wheel exploded, causing the crash that killed him and his cousin, a police report has revealed.
Reyes, who played for Sevilla, Arsenal and Real Madrid among others, was killed in the crash at the start of June last year while driving his Mercedes with his two cousins. The accident claimed the lives of Reyes and one of his cousins, while the third passenger – his other cousin – was left with burns to 60 per cent of his body.
Now nine months after the tragedy, the police report has been released detailing the cause of the crash.
According to Spanish radio station Cadena SER the "conclusion the Civil Guard who studied the accident have reached" was that the car was speeding "at least at 187kph when his back-left wheel of his Mercedes S 550 exploded".
The official report has therefore corrected earlier media reports that claimed Reyes was driving at speeds in excess of 234kph. The report adds that the wheel that led to the crash was "repaired by his cousin a few days before at a garage in Merida".
Reyes, who was 35 when he died, won a European Under 21 title with Spain in 2002 and went on to play 21 times for Spain between 2003 and 2006, scoring four goals.
He won Premier League and FA Cup medals at Arsenal and came on as a late substitute when the Gunners lost the 2006 Uefa Champions League final to Barcelona.
He helped Sevilla win the Spanish second division in his first stint at the club. He won the Europa League five times, twice with Atletico Madrid and three times in his second spell at Sevilla. He also won domestic league titles with Real Madrid and Benfica.
