Authorities investigate murder of former Colombian soccer player Juan Diego González

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(CNN Spanish) - The Medellín metropolitan police reported Thursday the discovery of two bodies in the town of Copacabana, about 20 kilometers from the capital of the department of Antioquia. The two victims were dismembered, according to local media reports Colonel Omar Rodríguez, deputy commander of the metropolitan police of the Aburrá Valley.

One of the bodies was identified as Juan Diego González, a former professional soccer player, who played with teams from Colombia, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. The other victim has not yet been identified by the Prosecutor. The remains were found inside sacks in a rural area of ​​Copacabana.

The authorities do not have records of complaints of threats against González, former member of the Deportivo Independiente Medellín, Independiente Santa Fe, Once Caldas, La Equidad and Pereira teams. In Argentina, González militated in San Lorenzo and Almagro. In Mexico, he wore the Santos Laguna shirt and finished his professional career in the United States in the Philadelphia Union in 2011.

Independiente Santa Fe deeply regrets the death of Juan Diego González Alzate.

We send a fraternal hug to all your family and relatives.

QEPD 🙏 pic.twitter.com/KaKG6TyEQ9

- Independiente Santa Fe (@SantaFe) March 5, 2020

The murder has been condemned in social networks by football fans and managers in Colombia, who have sympathized with the family of Juan Diego González.

At least 15 former Colombian professional footballers have been killed since 1974, according to official records. The most remembered case is that of Andrés Escobar, a former member of the Colombian national team, who was assassinated in 1994, 10 days after marking a goal in the US World Cup, which earned him the elimination of the national team. According to the Prosecutor's investigation, Escobar's crime, upon leaving a disco in Medellin, was executed through an alliance between drug traffickers and soccer punters.

The #FamiliaROJA deeply regrets the death of Juan Diego González, a man who knew how to defend these colors. We accompany their relatives in their deep pain. Peace in his grave. pic.twitter.com/8qEUnrB6pF

- DIM (@DIM_Oficial) March 5, 2020