Jose Antonio Reyes: Arsenal and Sevilla to pay tribute to former star at Emirates Cup

In honour of former player Jose Antonio Reyes, Arsenal and Sevilla will both pay tribute to him before and during their Emirates Cup match on Saturday.

In June 2019, at the age of just 35, Reyes died in a car accident.

This weekend, two of his former teams, Arsenal and Sevilla, will play each other for the first time since his passing, and he will be remembered.

Reyes will be honoured with a minute of applause before the game, and managers Mikel Arteta and Julen Lopetegui will trade shirts with his name and number on them.

Reyes made his professional debut at the age of 16 with his hometown team, Sevilla, where he started his football career. He played in the second half of Arsenal’s 2004 “Invincibles” season after spending four and a half seasons with the first team there.

Prior to joining Real Madrid on loan for the 2006–07 season, the Spaniard played a key role for Arsenal during their run to the Champions League final in 2006. His permanent transfer to Atletico Madrid was completed the following year.

Midway through the 2011–12 season, after spending another four and a half years in Andalusia, Reyes returned to Sevilla. He spent time at Espanyol, Cordoba, Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard, and Extremadura before his career came to an end.