Former Arsenal striker dies aged 46 in tragic futsal incident
Former Arsenal striker Fabian Caballero has died, aged 46. Caballero spent one year at Highbury, playing three games, with the club expressing their sadness in a statement.
"Everyone at the club is deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing of our former player, Fabian Caballero", Arsenal wrote online. "Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time [red heart emoji]".
Caballero also played for Dundee, where he scored 22 times from 130 matches across five years. He spent most of his career in his native Paraguay, where he died after collapsing during a Fustal match.
The ex-striker played for Cerro Porteno, Serro Portino, Atletico Tembetary, Sol de America and Tacuary, with a brief loan to Arsenal from Porteno during the 1998/99 season. He didn't score in the three substitute appearances he made.
A statement from the Paraguayan FA says: "The Paraguayan Football Association deeply regrets the passing of former footballer, Fabián Caballero, who had an outstanding career both in Paraguayan football and abroad. We accompany the family and friends in this difficult time."
Caballero made a much bigger impact at Dundee, where he was a Scottish Cup runner-up. He was never capped by his country.
It was Arsene Wenger who brought him to England. Caballero became regular for the reserve team whilst in north London, scoring eight times in 16 games.
He continued a long playing career in South Korea, Cyprus, Chile, Guatemala, Argentina, and Greece across almost two decades before retiring in 2014. A statement from Dundee adds: "All at Dundee Football Club are extremely shocked and saddened this morning to learn of the passing of former Dundee player Fabián Caballero.
"Fabian passed away at the age of 46 and will be greatly missed by everyone at Dundee Football Club. Fabián signed for The Dee in July 2000 and became a fan’s favourite amongst the Dundee supporters. The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Fabián’s family at this very sad time. The club will issue a full tribute to Fabián later today. Rest in peace Fabián."