Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has tragically died in a car accident alongside his 25-year-old brother, André Silva, in Spain.
The crash occurred at approximately 12:30am local time on Thursday (11:30pm Wednesday BST) on the A-52 motorway in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora.
According to a statement from the Civil Guard in Zamora, the car left the road and caught fire following a suspected tyre burst while overtaking. Both Jota and his brother died at the scene.
Jota, who was returning to England via ferry from Santander due to recent minor surgery, had been advised not to fly. He was due to report back to Liverpool’s training ground next week for pre-season.
André Silva, who also died in the crash, was a professional footballer with Portuguese second-division club Penafiel.
A wake will be held Friday afternoon in Gondomar, near Porto, with the funeral scheduled for Saturday at 10am.
Jota had recently married his long-time partner, Rute Cardoso, and was a father of three.
In a statement, Liverpool FC said:
“Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.
The club will make no further comment at this time and respectfully requests privacy for the family, friends, teammates, and staff as they process this unimaginable loss.”
Jota joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020, scoring 65 goals in 182 appearances. He won the Premier League title, FA Cup, and two Carabao Cups with the Reds.
Internationally, he scored 14 goals in 49 matches for Portugal and helped his country win the UEFA Nations League for a second time in June.
