Jayden Adams came home from the World Cup and never got to process what he'd just been through. The 25-year-old South Africa midfielder was found dead at a property in the Schotsche Kloof neighbourhood of Cape Town shortly after returning from North America. Police have opened an investigation. The cause of death has not been revealed.
The South African Football Players Union confirmed his death on Saturday. A moment of silence was held for Adams before the England vs Norway quarterfinal the same day.
He played through grief the world didn't know about
What makes Adams's story hit differently is this: he started against the Czech Republic — South Africa's 1-1 draw — one day after losing his grandmother, Marianna. He went out and played anyway. He then started the 2-0 defeat to Mexico, came off the bench in the 1-0 win over South Korea, and was an unused substitute when Canada knocked them out on June 28.
South Africa's minister of sports, arts and culture Gayton McKenzie put it plainly: "That he chose to wear the national jersey and give his all for his country in that moment speaks to a depth of character and professionalism well beyond his years."
That's not a tribute written for a press release. That's someone describing something they actually witnessed.
A family trying to find words
His father, Juanito Adams, spoke to South African news service eNCA on Sunday. "The family is struggling to process it. It won't be easy to carry on," he said. "People say it will become easier, but it won't. You just learn to live with it."
He also noted the scale of the response: "The whole world is reacting to Jayden's death. We can see the love the world had for his soccer and for Jayden."
The investigation is ongoing. No cause of death has been disclosed.
