• Twenty-five-year-old Brazilian striker dies in car crash • 'Maicon loved life and knew how to make it positive and bright'

Shakhtar Donetsk have confirmed that their 25-year-old Brazilian striker Maicon Pereira de Oliveira died in a car accident early on Saturday.

"He was a talented footballer, [an] open and friendly guy. Maicon loved life and knew how to make it positive and bright. Tragic, untimely and absurd death took away a wonderful person from our ranks," the club said in a statement published on their website.

"It is a terrible bereavement for each of us. FC Shakhtar expresses condolences and sympathy to Maicon's family and friends. May he rest in peace."

Maicon was on a loan to the Ukrainian league club Illichivets Mariupol until the end of the 2013-14 season. No further details of the crash have been revealed.