Arsenal & Sevilla to pay tribute to Jose Antonio Reyes at Emirates Cup
By Sean Walsh
Arsenal and Sevilla will pay tribute to former player Jose Antonio Reyes before and during their Emirates Cup clash on Saturday.
Reyes died in a car accident in June 2019 at the age of just 35.
Two of his former teams, Arsenal and Sevilla, will face off for the first time since his passing this weekend, and tributes will be paid to him.
A minute's applause will be held for Reyes prior to kick off, with managers Mikel Arteta and Julen Lopetegui swapping shirts bearing the name and numbers he wore at either club. A video will be displayed on the Emirates Stadium big screens, while Reyes' father Francisco will be present in the directors' box.
There are plans for a further minute's applause in the ninth minute, commemorating the number he wore during his time at Arsenal, and the man of the match trophy has been named in his honour.
Reyes began his footballing career with hometown club Sevilla and made his professional debut aged 16. After four-and-a-half seasons in the first team, he moved to Arsenal, featuring in the second half of their 2003/04 'Invincibles' campaign.
The Spaniard featured prominently for Arsenal on their run to the 2006 Champions League final before joining Real Madrid on loan for the 2006/07 season. The following year, he completed a permanent move to Atletico Madrid.
Reyes returned to Sevilla midway through the 2011/12 season and a further four-and-a-half years back in Andalusia. He ended his career with spells at Espanyol, Cordoba, Xinjiang Tianshan Leopard and Extremadura.