The 55-year-old Rincón was admitted to hospital on Monday following a car accident in the early hours of the day, CNN en Español reported, citing local media.

Five people were injured in the accident, which involved a van with four occupants, including the former player, and a bus, the Undersecretary of Mobility of Cali, Edwing Candelo, told the newspaper 

Cali's The Imbanaco Clinic said "despite all the efforts made by our medical and assistance team, the patient Freddy Eusebio Rincón Valencia, has died today April 13, 2022."

"There will never be a way to express what this really means for us, we invite the entire country to remember him with happiness for everything that he brought into life with his sporting successes," 

Rincón played in three World Cups -- 1990, 1994 and 1998 -- and scored 17 goals in 84 games for Colombia.

: "This is a huge loss for his family and friends, and at the same time is a regrettable loss for our sport, where we'll miss him and remember him with great care, appreciation, respect and admiration." 

"We send strength, support and our condolences to his family, hoping that they can support this sad and painful loss," the statement added.

He retired as a player in 2004 and later coached third division teams in Brazil. He was an assistant to former Brazil coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo at Atlético Mineiro in 2010 and to Jorge Luis Pinto at Millonarios de Colombia in 2019.