Soccer Player Ethan McLeod, 21, Dies in Car Crash While Driving Home from Game: 'Had His Whole Life Ahead of Him'

NEED TO KNOW

• English soccer player Ethan McLeod has died at the age of 21
• McLeod was killed in a car crash while driving home from his team's game on Tuesday night
• His team, Macclesfield F.C., said McLeod has a "lust for life" that "put smiles on all our faces — even on the darkest of days"

English soccer player Ethan McLeod has died after getting in a car crash while traveling home from his team’s game on Tuesday, Macclesfield F.C. announced. He was 21 years old.

“Ethan was an incredibly talented and well-respected member of our First Team Squad, who had his whole life ahead of him,” Macclesfield said in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 16 announcing McLeod’s death. 

Macclesfield said Ethan “was involved in a car accident on the M1 which tragically took his life” while he was traveling back from Bedford Town on Tuesday night. BBC reported the crash occurred when McLeod’s white Mercedes collided with a roadside barrier shortly around 10:40 p.m. local time.

The team said “Ethan’s infectious personality endeared him to everyone that he came into contact with” and “in giving his all in everything he did, Ethan effortlessly pushed us all to be the best we can be — both on and off the pitch.”

“Ethan’s professionalism and unwavering work ethic inspired everyone, and his lust for life put smiles on all our faces — even on the darkest of days,” the team said. “News of Ethan’s passing has devastated our entire Club and no words can convey the immense sense of sadness and loss that we feel now.”

McLeod has been in the English soccer system since he was 7 years old when he first joined the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers’ youth academy, according to BBC. Born in Birmingham, England, McLeod’s career also included stints with Alvechurch in the Southern League, as well as Rushall Olympic and Stourbridge.

The 21-year-old joined Macclesfield in July and made five appearances with the National League North team this season, scoring two goals.

Macclesfield, which plays in English soccer’s sixth tier league, said “the deep mental scars elicited from Ethan's passing will undeniably never heal – but one thing is for sure, and that is Ethan's vibrant legacy will never fade, no matter how much time passes in the future.”

McLeod’s younger brother Conor, 20, currently plays with his former Wolverhampton team. “We are sending our thoughts and love to Ethan’s family, friends and everyone at Macclesfield,” the team said in a social media post, adding that it “will be providing care and support” for Conor in the wake of his older brother’s death.

The team also announced it would observe a minute of silence before its upcoming game on Saturday “to remember and honor Ethan."

Read the original article on People