Jose Antonio Reyes has been slammed by former Spanish keeper Santiago Canizares who claims the late midfielder 'does not deserve a tribute like a hero'.
Former Arsenal man Reyes died just before midday on Saturday when his Mercedes Brabus S550V went off the A-376 motorway near the town of Alcala de Guadaira close to Seville.
Reyes may have been driving at around 120mph, some 50mph over the speed limit, although the exact speed was yet to be determined as part of an official investigation.
The vehicle is thought to have hit some concrete blocks by the side of the motorway before flipping over and bursting into flames.
There was then an out-pouring of tributes to the ex-Sevilla player, with a minutes applause before the Champions League fineal.
Canizares, a team-mate of Reyes for Spain, slammed the 35-year-old for driving at such speed.
Ex-Valencia keeper Canizares tweeted: "Driving at high speed shows a reprehensible attitude. In the accident there have been victims in addition to the driver.
"Reyes does not deserve a tribute like a hero.
"But that does not mean that I don't regret what happened and that I pray for their souls."
Reyes’ cousin Jonathan Reyes, 23, a back seat passenger, also died.
A third cousin, named as Juan Manuel Calderon, managed to get out of the charred vehicle and had been rushed to hospital in Seville with serious burns.
The accident happened at 11.45am on Saturday morning as Reyes and his two passengers were returning from a training session at Extremadura, the club he was playing for, to his home in his native Utrera near Seville.
Utrera has declared two days of official mourning. The town hall said in a statement on Saturday: “This morning Utrera-born Jose Antonio Reyes has died in a traffic accident on the A-376.
“Another relative of Jose Antonio’s has also died.
“Jose Antonio has been a much-loved person in our town since the start of his footballing career with Seville Football Club, always carrying the flag for Utrera.”
Utrera’s mayor Jose Maria Villalobos said he felt “overwhelmed by this sad news and the fact a young person with a family has had his life taken away from him.”
He is understood to remain in intensive care at Virgen del Rocio Hospital in the southern Spanish city.
Local paper Diario de Sevilla, which said the vehicle had become a ball of fire, stated Reyes may have been driving at around 120mph, some 50mph over the speed limit, although the exact speed was yet to be determined as part of an official investigation.
Reyes’ funeral will take place on Monday morning in the footballer’s native town of Utrera after thousands of fans and well-wishers have had a chance to say their last goodbyes.
The former Seville player’s coffin is due to be taken to his old football club on Sunday afternoon, where it will stay from 4pm to 9pm before being moved to Utrera Town Hall.
After an overnight wake at the town hall, where well-wishers will be able to say their last goodbyes and offer their condolences to Reyes’ friends and family, his coffin will be taken to Santa Maria Church in Utrera for a 9.30am funeral.
He is expected to be buried afterwards, although full details are yet to be made public.
The funeral of his cousin, 23-year-old Jonathan Reyes, has been scheduled for 6.30pm on Sunday.
