Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams paid an emotional tribute to his national and Mamelodi Sundowns teammate Jayden Adams at a memorial service for the player on Thursday.Williams said Adams, who was found dead at a property in Cape Town on Saturday, was quiet but his smile and laughter would light up a room. He said the 25-year-old was a warrior on the field.The goalkeeper hailed Adams’ contribution to South African football.This included helping Sundowns win the 2025/2026 CAF Champions League, winning a bronze medal with Bafana at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2024 and helping SA qualify for and then compete last month in the 2026 Fifa World Cup.“I greet you in the name of our brother, ‘Grootman’ Jayden,” Williams, addressing the memorial service at the Stellenbosch Town Hall, said. “To the Adams family, my condolences to you. “Not only have you lost a son, a brother and a father, you have also lost a global superstar. “Jayden’s loss will leave a big gap to fill and his massive shoes to replace.“To the family, stick together, draw strength from one another and continue to celebrate Jayden’s life, his career and his successes.“Jayden was a very quiet and respectful boy. You would sometimes forget he was in the room. “But his smile and his laughter could light up any room he was in.“As quiet as he was, when it was time to fight, he never backed down.“During the CAF Champions League final, there’s a wonderful photo on the internet of Jayden standing head-to-head with an opposition player. “And I asked him, ‘My bru, jy se for daai man, jou ma se bleep, he verstaan nie wat jy se nie?’ [My brother, you say to that man your mother’s bleep, he doesn’t understand what you’re saying.]We will carry you in our hearts, carry you on our sleeve, carry you on this badge and forever you will remain part of us.— Ronwen Williams“He just looked at me and he burst out laughing. “That was the character he was and the mentality he had in the field.“Jayden, for your contribution to South African football, thank you.“Be it adding the second star for Mamelodi Sundowns, qualifying and participating at the World Cup, bringing a bronze medal for Bafana Bafana at Afcon, we will miss your quality, your passes, your vision and your brotherhood.“Mr J, Grootman, we will never forget you. “We will carry you in our hearts, carry you on our sleeve, carry you on this badge and forever you will remain part of us.“Jayden, fly high with the angels, we will continue keeping your legacy alive. Rus sag my ma se kind [rest softly my mother’s child].”Police have opened an inquest docket to investigate Adams’ death, though it is believed the Bafana star took his own life.He was a product of the Ajax Cape Town and Stellenbosch FC’s academies and signed for Sundowns from Stellies in January 2025. TimesLIVE