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This is not how it was supposed to be. Jayden Adams was set for greater things. That he is now no longer alive beggars belief. The 25-year-old midfielder had recently shown an incredible ability to defy the odds and reconfirm his standing as one of South Africa’s brightest footballing talents.He had been seen as some kind of a delinquent a few years ago when he failed to report for a Bafana Bafana camp, something that raised the ire of coach Hugo Broos so much that he was banished from the squad for a while. The truancy episode also resulted in him falling out of favour at club level, with Mamelodi Sundowns, and rumours began circulating that he could be out of Chloorkop. But Adams appeared to have learnt from the experience.Away from the public eye, he worked his way back into Miguel Cardoso’s team and ended up playing a role in the Brazilians winning a second CAF Champions League title.Jayden Adams of Bafana Bafana during the 2026 Fifa World Cup match against Czechia at the Atlanta Stadium on June 18 2026. (Gavin Barker/BackpagePix) It was a rebirth for the lad from Cloetesville, an area in Stellenbosch, who publicly declared he had “grown up”. Responding to a question about cutting his hair, he said: “I am a Grootman now.“ He literally gave himself the nickname. His performances thereafter were “Grootman material” which Broos could not ignore, and Adams was back in the Bafana setup.He did not disappoint and was deservedly part of the team that made history as the the nation’s first to progress out of the group stages of a World Cup. He was his usual, shy self on return from the global showpiece when captain Ronwen Williams introduced the squad to fans who had braved the morning cold to welcome Bafana at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.Nothing could have prepared the country for the devastating news on Saturday that Adams had died.On Sunday, tributes poured in from around the globe.Fifa president Gianni Infantino joined the global football community in sending condolences.“It is so incredibly sad to hear that South African midfielder Jayden Adams has passed away a few weeks after featuring in his nation’s historic World Cup campaign,” Infantino wrote. “My thoughts and condolences, and those of everyone at Fifa and the global football community, are with his family, friends and teammates. The Bafana Bafana and Mamelodi Sundowns star will be sorely missed.”Premier Soccer League chair Irvin Khoza also sent his condolences: “There are losses for which life, however painful, gives us time to prepare. Jayden Adams’ untimely passing has left the nation stunned with grief.“A young footballer of exceptional promise whose talent, humility and dedication had earned him the admiration of the nation. Please accept our heartfelt condolences and kindly convey them to the Jayden Adams family and the broader Masandawana family.”Business Day
