Several clubs, entities and personalities from the football world mourned the death of Colombian star Freddy Rincón and paid tribute to the former player.
He died on Wednesday night (13), aged 55, in a car accident in his native country.
“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to a great idol. Eternally in our hearts”, published the Corinthians profile on Twitter.
It was in São Paulo that Rincón lived the greatest moments of his career, with emphasis on winning the FIFA Club World Cup in 2000, as captain of the team.
“We lost our captain, giant, ace and monster of the first Corinthians World Cup. Our condolences to all the family”, wrote Marcelinho Carioca, Freddy’s companion in that conquest.
Marcelinho did not always have a good relationship with the midfielder, who even attacked him in the locker room after a match in 1999 in Argentina, accusing him of forcing an expulsion. But the results with the two on the field were often positive, as in the 1998 and 1999 Brazilian titles and in the World Cup itself.
First club defended by Rincón in Brazil, Palmeiras also manifested itself, with a note of regret and a video recalling some of the Colombian’s moves with the alviverde shirt.
“We deeply regret the death of former Colombian player Freddy Rincón, champion for Palmeiras and idol in his country. We wish his family, friends and fans a lot of strength in this difficult time.”
Santos and Cruzeiro, other Brazilian teams that counted on the Colombian’s talent, also took to social media to lament the fatality.
“He will never be forgotten by the Santos nation. Rest in peace”, published the official account of the white-and-white from the beach, referring to the former player as a “legend”.
“Cruzeiro mourns the death of our former athlete, Freddy Rincón, Colombian idol. To his family, friends and fans, we wish strength in this moment of pain”, wrote the club from Minas Gerais.
Other Brazilian teams for which the former player did not play, including São Paulo and Flamengo, increased the list of tributes on social networks.
The accident that killed Rincón happened in the early hours of Monday (11), in Cali, Colombia.
The vehicle that the former athlete was in collided with a bus when crossing a red light at high speed, according to local authorities. The death was announced on Wednesday night, Thursday morning in Brazil time.
Rincón’s death also had wide international repercussions.
Teams defended by Rincón in Colombia (América de Cali, Tolima and Independiente Santa Fe) and in Europe (Real Madrid and Napoli), in addition to other teams for which the former player did not play, used social networks to register tributes.
In a statement, the Colombian Football Federation praised the former player’s career and recalled that Rincón was the first athlete in the country to wear the Real Madrid shirt.
“A regrettable loss to our sport. We will miss him and remember him with great affection, appreciation, respect and admiration.”
For the national team, Freddy played in three editions of the World Cup (1990, 1994 and 1998), three of the Copa América (1991, 1993 and 1995) and was part of a historic generation in the country, alongside goalkeeper Higuita, midfielder Valderrama and striker Asprilla.
In Cali, the city government declared three days of official mourning and made the Pascual Guerrero stadium, home of América, available to the family for the wake.
Colombian President Iván Duque also offered condolences.
“He was and always will be a great idol of Colombian football. Thank you for all this magic and this strength that inspired us and filled us with unforgettable moments”, wrote Duque on Twitter.
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