From Diogo Jota to George Foreman, sporting deaths in 2025 - Part 1

Footballers Diogo Jota and Denis Law, former heavyweight champion George Foreman and cricketer Robin Smith were among the sports stars who died in 2025.

Here is the first part of AFP's review of the sporting figures we lost this year:

FOOTBALL

DIOGO JOTA died on July 3rd aged 28 in a car crash in Spain.

The Liverpool forward was killed in the accident alongside his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva just days after he married Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children.

Jurgen Klopp, who brought the Portuguese international to Liverpool in 2020, said he was "heartbroken" at the death of his "great friend".

Capped 49 times by Portugal, Jota moved to Liverpool from Wolves for £45 million ($62 million).

His goalscoring prowess quickly made him a fans' favourite, as he netted 65 times for the Reds in five years and lifted the League Cup and FA Cup in the 2021/22 season.

Jota scored nine goals in all competitions last season as Liverpool cruised to their record-equalling 20th English league title.

DENIS LAW died on January 17th of Alzheimer's disease & vascular dementia aged 84.

Law was part of Matt Busby's legendary Manchester United side. He, Bobby Charlton and George Best became known as the "Holy Trinity" as United bestrode domestic and European football in the 1960s, peaking with the 1968 European Cup triumph.

The charismatic Scot missed the final as he was injured but his nine goals played a major part in getting United there.

He also had two spells at Manchester City and famously declined to celebrate scoring a goal for his new club that all but condemned United to relegation in 1974.

"He was a great Scotsman. Cantankerous, a troublemaker and he loved beating England," said former United manager Alex Ferguson.

LEO BEENHAKKER died on April 10th aged 82.

Beenhakker was a hard-as-nails Dutch football coach who never held back whenever his credibility was questioned, as he had never played professional football owing to injury.

"You don't have to have been a cow to be a milkman," was one of his retorts.

He remains the only coach to have guided bitter rivals Ajax (1980 and 1990) and Feyenoord (1999) to the Dutch league title and shone in Spain by taking Real Madrid to three successive LaLiga crowns from 1987 to 1989.

AHMED FARAS died on July 16th following a long illness aged 78.

Still the all-time leading scorer for Morocco with 36 goals, he was African footballer of the year in 1975.

He skippered Morocco from 1971 to 1979 and played a pivotal role in Morocco's march to the 1976 Africa Cup of Nations title.

King Mohammed VI paid tribute to "one of the great icons of Moroccan football".

DORIS FITSCHEN died on March 15th following a long illness aged 56.

One of the pathfinders in women's football, she was capped 144 times for Germany, winning the European title on four occasions and an Olympic bronze medal in the 2000 Sydney Games.

The midfielder was general manager of the German team that won gold in the 2016 Rio Games.

JOHN ROBERTSON died on December 25th aged 72.

Dubbed "a Picasso of our game" by Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, the wily Scottish winger was a key member of the side that won back to back European Cups.

He scored the only goal in the 1980 win over Hamburg. A year earlier, playing despite the death of his brother Hughie in a car accident just days before, Robertson's cross set up Trevor Francis to head home against Malmo.

Capped 28 times – he went to the 1978 and 1982 World Cup finals – Robertson was later to be a successful assistant coach to former Forest teammate Martin O'Neill, particularly at Celtic.

NIKITA SIMONYAN died on November 23rd aged 99.

Following Charles Coste's demise he became the oldest surviving Olympic gold medallist, the Soviet Union having won at the 1956 Melbourne Games.

He went on to score the first goal for the Soviet Union in their maiden World Cup appearance in 1958.

However, being knocked out in the quarterfinals was dimly viewed by the Soviet leaders.

"I actually thought we'd played very well, but the (Communist) Party considered our performance a failure. Well, that was the system back then," he told the BBC.

SULEIMAN AL-OBEID died on August 6th aged 41.

Suleiman al-Obeid, known as the "Palestinian Pele", was killed by Israeli gunfire in the Gaza Strip while waiting to collect humanitarian aid, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said.

Liverpool and Egypt star Mohamed Salah criticised Europe's football governing body UEFA for posting a tribute that did not mention how the former international died.

An ex-star of the Khadamat Al-Shati club in Gaza, Obeid played 24 times for team Palestine.

GOLF

FUZZY ZOELLER died on November 27th aged 74.

The American was a two-time major winner who in 1979 became the first golfer since 1935 to win the Masters at his first attempt.

The wise-cracking Zoeller added the 1984 US Open to his laurels but in 1997 his attempt at humour landed him in trouble when discussing the then 21-year-old Tiger Woods.

"Tell him not to serve fried chicken next year ...or collard greens or whatever they serve," he said, in a reference to the Masters champions' dinner.

Zoeller apologised, but he received death threats for years and in 2008 admitted it was "the worst thing I've gone through in my entire life."

GYMNASTICS

AGNES KELETI died on January 2nd of pneumonia aged 103.

A quintuple Olympic gold medallist spread over two Games – Helsinki in 1952 and Melbourne in 1956 – she did not return to Hungary after the latter when the Soviet Union invaded her country.

Her life story, including surviving the Holocaust – her father was murdered in a death camp but she escaped deportation having obtained fake documents – reads like a Hollywood film script, with her feisty spirit never breaking in the face of adversity.

"It was worth doing something well in life, considering the attention I have received, I get the shivers when I see all the articles written about me," she told AFP in 2020, weeks before her 100th birthday.

HORSE RACING

The AGA KHAN IV died on February 4th aged 88.

The Swiss-born philanthropist was bequeathed the title of Aga Khan aged 20 by his grandfather and became one of the most influential owner/breeders. Among his many star charges was the unbeaten Zarkava, who won the 2008 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Europe's most prestigious race.

The Aga Khan – who competed for Britain in alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics – suffered a hammer blow when his superstar thoroughbred Shergar was kidnapped from his Irish stud in 1983.

The breeder's death denied him witnessing a superb season for the Aga Khan Studs with the highlight Daryz winning the Arc.

"Dad would be over the moon every time he won the Arc, now I know what that feels like," said his daughter Princess Zahra Khan.

RON TURCOTTE died on August 22nd aged 84

The Canadian guided Secretariat on an electrifying Triple Crown run in 1973 – a sweep that ended a Triple Crown drought stretching back to Citation's treble in 1948.

Turcotte and Secretariat – or 'Big Red' as he was known – set the pulses racing especially the astonishing 31-length romp in the Belmont Stakes.

Turcotte won 3 032 races in a career that ended in 1978, when he suffered injuries in a race fall that left him paralysed from the waist down.

MOTORSPORT

EDDIE JORDAN died on March 20th aged 76 of prostate cancer.

The dynamic Irishman was a legend in his field and although he never drove in Formula One, he did race in F2, F3 and Formula Atlantic, as well as 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1981.

Ten years later he finally made it to F1 with his Jordan Grand Prix team and gave Michael Schumacher his debut in the elite in 1991.

"He always knew how to make people smile, remaining genuine and brilliant at all times," said Stefano Domenicali, chief executive of Formula One Group.

RUGBY UNION

ROLAND BERTRANNE died on October 2nd from complications relating to Alzheimers aged 75.

Nicknamed "the little furious bull", the centre remains the France player with the most consecutive test appearances, with 46, and racked up 66 points in his 69 appearances for his country between 1971 and 1981.

Less celebrated than teammates such as Jean-Pierre Rives, he was still a pivotal member of the historic 1977 Five Nations Grand Slam side – the only time the French have achieved the feat using the same 15 players in all four matches.

PETER BROWN died on January 12th aged 83 following a long illness.

Known as "the man on the coat hanger" owing to his extremely square shoulders he captained Scotland in 10 of his 27 tests (1964-73) – which included three victories over the 'Auld Enemy' England.

A highly effective kicker, he remains his country's leading points scorer for a forward with 66, something he immortalised on his business card.

IAN MCLAUCHLAN died on April 14th aged 83.

He won the first of his 43 Scotland caps in his mid 20s but then became an indispensable member of the front row and was 37 when he made his final test appearance.

He captained his country in 19 tests – winning 10 and showed his toughness by leading out his side in the 1973 Calcutta Cup match against England a fortnight after breaking a bone in his leg.

He was one of only five players to feature in all eight test matches for the British and Irish Lions on their victorious tours to New Zealand in 1971 and South Africa in 1974.

STU WILSON died on June 8th aged 70.

A scintillating wing, he was a standout player for New Zealand from 1976-83, scoring 19 tries in his 34 tests.

The high point of his career was being in the All Blacks side that swept all four home nations aside on their 1979 northern hemisphere tour.

Wilson retired in 1984 because under the archaic amateur rules he would have been barred from playing as he profited from a book about himself and fellow wing Bernie Fraser.

ALEX WYLLIE died on March 22nd aged 80 of cancer.

A fearsome-looking flanker nicknamed "Grizz", he played 11 tests for the All Blacks, captaining them on three occasions.

He was a highly-regarded coach, first with Canterbury then was pivotal as assistant coach when the All Blacks won the inaugural World Cup in 1987.

Less happily, he co-coached the defending champions at the 1991 edition and resigned after they bowed out in the semifinals to eventual champions Australia.