Daniel Correa Freitas, a 24-year-old midfielder for Sao Paulo, was found dead in Sao Jose dos Pinhais, Parana in southern Brazil on Saturday night. While police are guarding details of the tragic incident, early reports indicate that he may have been murdered.
“Freitas, who was playing this season on loan with second-division Sao Bento, died of gunshot wounds, according to official reports,” ESPN reports. “However, local police would not divulge any more details.”
Parana authorities say the investigation into his death is in advanced stages, ESPN notes.
While authorities have offered few details about the incident, the New York Post cites a local report suggesting Freitas was brutally “tortured” before he was murdered; however, the original report has since been deleted.
Freitas’ team issued a statement Monday in which they said they lamented his death and expressed “solidarity” with his friends and family.
“Sao Paulo Football Club deeply regrets the death of midfielder Daniel, who defended the club in 2015 and 2016, and was found dead in São José dos Pinhais, metropolitan region of Curitiba, last weekend,” reads the statement (full text below). After detailing his history with the team, Sao Paolo concluded, “It is with deep regret that the São Paulo Football Club laments the death of Daniel and is in solidarity with friends and family in this moment of pain.”
Below is the full text of Sao Paulo’s statement on the tragic death of the young star (translation via Google):
Sao Paulo Football Club deeply regrets the death of midfielder Daniel, who defended the club in 2015 and 2016, and was found dead in São José dos Pinhais, metropolitan region of Curitiba, last weekend.
The 24-year-old, who had a contract with the Tricolor until the end of the season, was on loan to São Bento and was in contention for the Brazilian Serie B Championship.
Mineiro de Juiz de Fora, Daniel Corrêa Freitas was revealed by Cruzeiro and he excelled in the base categories of the club of Belo Horizonte before arriving at Botafogo in 2013. It was for the team from Rio that the midfielder aroused the interest of São Paulo, who got it right hiring in early 2015.
Before his debut, in September of that year, the athlete recovered from a ligament injury in his right knee and had the entire structure of the Barra Funda Training Center and REFFIS available to return to the lawns.
The first match for the Tricolor was under the command of coach Juan Carlos Osorio, on September 2, against Joinville (0 x 0) in Santa Catarina. The following season, Daniel advanced with the São Paulo team until the semifinal of the Libertadores of America and also disputed the Championship Paulista and the Brazilian Championship.
In 2017, he was loaned to Coritiba and won the Campeonato Paranaense. After passing through the Thigh, the attacking midfielder worked on Ponte Preta and São Bento – a club that he defended after passing through Campinas.
It is with deep regret that the São Paulo Football Club laments the death of Daniel and is in solidarity with friends and family in this moment of pain.