Arsenal icon’s seven-word message to wife before tragic death aged just 35

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Arsenal icon's seven-word message to wife before tragic death aged just 35

Former Arsenal star Jose Antonio Reyes' wife shared the last message she received from her husband

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The widow of Jose Antonio Reyes has previously revealed the final message she received from her husband hours before his death. The Arsenal icon tragically lost his life in a car crash, aged 35, alongside his 23-year-old cousin Jonathan Reyes in June 2019.

The former Gunners forward was a member of the Invincibles squad that clinched the Premier League title in 2004. He subsequently moved to Atletico Madrid in 2007, where he twice won the Europa League, and two of his former clubs are due to face each other in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday.

Off the field, Reyes wed Noelia Lopez in 2017 and the pair had two daughters together. The Spain international also fathered a son from an earlier relationship, Jose Antonio Jr, who is part of Real Madrid's academy system.

Several months following her husband's passing, Lopez shared a screenshot of the last message she'd received from him. Still saved as 'Papi Amor' in her phone, he had sent the WhatsApp at 7:43am on the day of his death.

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Translated from Spanish, the poignant message read: "Good morning mommy I love you guys." Later that year, Lopez also discovered an old Valentine's Day note from her partner, in which Reyes had said: "Happy Valentine's Day. I won't forget you even from a distance."

Reyes lost his life, alongside his cousin Jonathan, when his Mercedes Brabus S550 crashed on the A-376 motorway in southern Spain. Another of the footballer's cousins, Juan Manuel Calderon, sustained severe burns but survived the collision.

Lopez described her husband as the "love of my life" in a heartfelt tribute shortly before his funeral in June 2019. She said: "We will always think of you and you will live on forever in our hearts. You've given us the best life and you leave the best memories.

"You will look at me in Noelia's eyes and you will smile with me in Triana's smile. I love you and will love you for ever."

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As a player, Reyes came through the ranks at boyhood club Sevilla before earning a move to Arsenal midway through their historic unbeaten season in January 2004. He made 13 appearances to claim a Premier League winners' medal, subsequently winning the 2005 FA Cup and featuring in the 2006 Champions League final, making 110 appearances in total for the club.

Following a loan spell at Real Madrid, where he won La Liga, Reyes crossed the city to join Atletico permanently in 2007. He returned to Sevilla in January 2012, remaining there until 2016 and collecting three Europa League titles.

Ahead of Arsenal's meeting with Sevilla in 2023, manager Mikel Arteta fondly recalled time spent with his former Spain U21 team-mate. The Arsenal boss said of Reyes: "I have great memories. He was my roommate and we spent quite a lot of time together.

"He was a fantastic character with a very special personality and had an incredible football talent. At that age, I can't recall a better player than him, he had everything. He played for [Arsenal and Sevilla] and he is part of our history in a big way because he was part of the Invincibles as well."

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