Story By: Juan Mayes, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Golder’s News And Sport

Former Arsenal star Jose Reyes’ father has given a heartbreaking interview in which he talks about the hell he and his grieving wife are going through after the footballer’s death.

In an interview given to the Spanish show “Viva la Vida” (Live Life) broadcast in Spain by television channel Telecinco, former Real Madrid superstar Jose Reyes’ father Francisco Reyes talked about the difficult period he is going through as he mourns the death of his son.

He said: “When we are alone all we do is cry. We do not even speak because if we say something to each other, it is about something that makes us cry.”

Francisco Reyes said the former Arsenal star’s mother Mari Reyes has been having an especially difficult time.

Francisco Reyes said: “His mother does not even go to the doorstep. We knew it would be hard, but not this hard. My wife goes from bed to the sofa and from the sofa to bed.”

He added: “We would like to know where to get our strength from. We cannot say things to each other because if we say or do or see something we think about how he used to say and do things.

“How do we think we are going to move forward? That is what we would like to know. The problem is our lives do not make sense anymore.”

Francisco Reyes described his late son as “the greatest in the world. Not as an athlete, but as a person”.

Spanish newspaper El Mundo reported that Reyes’ car hit a crash barrier and bounced off it, resulting in over 90 metres of skid marks on the road surface before it hit a fence which then “catapulted” the car.

Though initial reports claimed the accident was caused by excessive speeding, new reports claim it may have been caused by a problem with one of the tyres.

Jose Antonio Reyes was the first Spanish player to win the Premier League with Arsenal. He was also a La Liga champion with Real Madrid and a three-time Europa League winner with Sevilla.

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