Bernard Malanda-Adje (28 August 1994 – 10 January 2015), nicknamed Junior Malanda, was a Belgian professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder for VfL Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga. 

Career

Malanda began his career at the youth team of the Belgian club R.S.C. Anderlecht. On 1 July 2007, Malanda was moved to Ligue 1 sideLille OSC, where he made a name for himself with their U19 Squad, before obtaining a move back to Belgium with Zulte Waregem. At Waregem, he played 65 matches, scoring eight goals and getting five assists.

On 31 July 2013, VfL Wolfsburg signed Malanda after submitting a bid for him in the region of €4M. However, he was subsequently loaned back to Waregem to continue his career in Belgium.

Upon his return to Wolfsburg, he made his debut, coming on as a late substitute in Wolfsburg's 3–0 win of Mainz 05. Malanda scored his first Bundesliga goal in a 3–1 victory over Werder Bremen. However, an injury then put Malanda out for the remainder of the 2013–14 season.

Malanda was loaned to the Belgian club, Zulte-Waregem, but returned to Wolfsburg for the 2014–15 Bundesliga season. He made 10 appearances, picking up two assists.

Death and Reaction

On 10 January 2015, at 15:35 local time, Malanda was travelling in the backseat of an SUV near Porta Westfalica in north-central Germany. The car cleared a guardrail on the side of the road and crashed into a tree. Malanda was catapulted from the back seat of the car. According to police, he was thrown forward at the collision and died instantly.

Notable footballers including Mario Götze, Benedikt Höwedes, Kevin Prince-Boateng and Belgian teammates Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku, Marouane Fellaini and Kevin De Bruyne paid tribute to him on social media.