The football world is in shock following the sudden death of South African footballer Jayden Adams at the age of 25. The tragedy has come as an even bigger surprise given that the Bafana Bafana midfielder recently made his FIFA World Cup debut with the national team.
While there has been no official confirmation regarding the cause of his death and investigations remain ongoing, unverified claims circulating online have alleged that Adams died by suicide at his home in Cape Town.
Those claims have further intensified after footage from South Africa’s locker room celebration during the FIFA World Cup resurfaced online.
Jayden Adam death: Bafana Bafana locker room footage sparks buzz
A social media account shared a video that appears to have been recorded inside the Bafana Bafana dressing room following one of the team’s World Cup matches.
While the rest of the squad can be seen celebrating, singing, and shouting together, the footage briefly captures Adams sitting away from the group near a table.
He appears quiet and does not seem to be participating in the celebrations, a moment that has since drawn widespread attention online.
“Jayden Adams was going through something serious in his life, this was South African players celebrating after their win against South Korea while he was sitting quiet,” the account which posted the video wrote.
Another user added, “He looked sad… and you’ll find that no one noticed”.
Adams also suffered a personal tragedy while representing South Africa at the World Cup, losing his grandmother during the tournament.
Despite receiving the heartbreaking news just one day before Bafana Bafana’s second group-stage match against Czechia, he chose to play in the fixture, which ended in a draw.
One user wrote, “You could tell something deep inside was still haunting him. Eish, may his soul rest in peace. He had just lost his grandmother who raised him here.”
