Eder Smic Valencia, a highly-touted 16-year-old soccer player who was on the cusp of signing for the New York Red Bulls, was killed in a car accident in his home country of Colombia on Sunday morning, as confirmed by his current club, Academia Alemana Popayan (AAFP).
According to reports, Valencia was on holiday in Guachene when his vehicle collided with a tanker truck. An investigation by local authorities is currently ongoing.
“Our thoughts are with all of Eder’s family, friends, and teammates,” a statement from the Red Bulls obtained by amNewYork said. “May he rest in peace.”
Valencia was expected to fly to New York in the coming days to complete his move to the Red Bulls. The teenage striker had impressed at the U-16 Red Bulls Cup in February and was on the cusp of joining Colombia’s U-17 national team for the 2026 South American Championship.
His academy club, AAFP, said in a statement: “We, along with his family, will honor his memory at the AAFP. He will forever be in our hearts.”
AAFP has become somewhat of a feeder club for Red Bull teams. One of their products, Mayker Palacios, was signed to Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg and is currently playing for their second-division farm team, FC Liefering.
New York also signed Juan Gutierrez from Red Bull Bragantino after being picked up from AAFP.
