Gonzalez, who has been the club doctor of Ligue 1 side Stade Reims for the past 20 years, was in quarantine with his wife who also tested positive for coronavirus in the weeks leading up to his death.

According to Le Parisien, the 60 year-old left a suicide letter, which reportedly made reference to his diagnosis.

The tragic news has rocked the city of Reims, and the broader football community in France. 

Reims Mayor Arnaud Robinet described Gonzalez as a 'collateral victim of COVID-19', saying: “I have strong thoughts for his parents, his wife, his family. He is a collateral victim of COVID-19… I know that he has left a note to explain his decision, but I will ignore the contents of it. He was an engaged and a very loving man.”

A heart-felt tribute was published on the Stade de Reims website from club president Jean-Pierre Caillot, it read:

“Words fail me, I am stunned by this news. This pandemic attacks Stade de Reims in the heart, he is a character who personifies Reims and a great professional of the sport who has left us." 

"His mission at the club of more than 20 years had been carried out with the utmost professionalism, in a passionate and even selfless manner. Doctor Gonzalez, in the harshest periods for the club, worked on a voluntary basis (without payment).

"He is my personal doctor, and today all my thoughts, those of the club where he will remain a strong figure, go to his wife and his parents.”