DONETSK: Brazilian striker Maicon of Shakhtar Donetsk has been killed in a car crash in the eastern Ukraine city.

In a statement Shakhtar said that the 25-year-old Brazilian was a “wonderful person”. It added: “He was a talented footballer, an open and friendly guy. This is a terrible bereavement for each of us.”

Maicon Pereira de Oliveira, born on May 8, 1988, began in the youth section of Brazilian giants Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro then took the gamble of a move to Ukraine in 2009 with Volyn Lutsk. He was loaned to Romania’s Steaua Bucharest for three months before returning to Volyn and was their 10-goal top scorer in the club’s Ukrainian Cup triumph in 2012.

That summer Maicon signed a three-year contract with Shakhtar for whom he had scored one goal in six league games. He was currently out on loan to Illichivets Mariupol.

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