Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday, police said, sparking widespread grief just after the Portugal star had got married.
The Civil Guard said a vehicle veered off a motorway and burst into flames shortly after midnight in the municipality of Cernadilla in the northwestern Zamora province, confirming the deaths of Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva.
“Everything points to the blowout of a tyre while it (the vehicle) was overtaking,” the Civil Guard said in a statement.
The central government’s representative in Zamora, Angel Blanco, told reporters the car “was burned out, and they died inside”.
Local media published footage showing the charred, mangled remains of what they identified as Jota’s Lamborghini. An AFP journalist at the scene saw scorched debris and burn marks strewn on the motorway verge.
Portugal great Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to Jota on X, saying the death “makes no sense” just after his marriage and their UEFA Nations League title with the national team.
“We will all miss you,” the superstar forward wrote.
Portuguese football federation president Pedro Proenca hailed Jota as “an extraordinary person, respected by all his colleagues and opponents, someone blessed with an infectious joy and a reference for his own community”.
“We have lost two champions. The death of Diogo and Andre Silva are irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything possible to honour their legacy every day,” Proenca wrote on social media.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who brought Jota to the Reds in 2020, said he was “heartbroken” in an Instagram post, while the club spoke of an “unimaginable loss”.
A sea of shirts, scarves, flowers, balloons, photographs and banners lay outside the club’s Anfield stadium as fans flocked to pay tribute.
“It is just so raw. It is like a family mourning,” said Tom Barry, a 32-year-old mechanic who was wearing a red Liverpool shirt with Jota’s name and number on the back.
Portuguese also woke up stunned to the news, with retiree Jose Zambujinho, 69, saying he was mourning “an incalculable loss”.
“I was depressed when I heard the news… Portugal has lost a great player,” Caramo Cassama, a 39-year-old security guard, told AFP in Lisbon.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said Jota “greatly honoured Portugal’s name”, while his former clubs Porto, Atletico Madrid and Wolverhampton Wanderers were among the string of footballing and political figures expressing shock and condolences.
Both players “will be commemorated not only for their footballing talent, but also for their personal and human qualities… football has lost two great men”, Porto president Andre Villas-Boas said in a statement.
“We are heartbroken. Diogo was adored by our fans, loved by his teammates and cherished by everyone who worked with him… the memories he created will never be forgotten,” Wolves said.
UEFA announced a moment of silence would be observed in memory of Jota before all matches on Thursday and Friday at the Women’s Euro 2025 in Switzerland, where Portugal were due to play Spain.
Jota had married his partner Rute Cardoso on June 22, posting a video of their wedding on Instagram just hours before the accident. They had three children.
Portuguese and UK media reported Jota was driving to the northern Spanish port of Santander to take a ferry to England, avoiding a flight on medical advice after a recent lung operation.
The family and the bodies travelled for legal formalities to the locality of Puebla de Sanabria, where an AFP journalist saw two hearses outside a funeral home, before continuing towards Portugal.
Jota scored nine goals in all competitions last season as Liverpool cruised to their record-equalling 20th English league title.
Capped 49 times by Portugal, Jota moved to England in 2017 with Wolves and earned a GBP45 million ($62 million) move to Liverpool three years later.
His goalscoring prowess quickly made him a fans’ favourite, as he netted 65 times for the Reds in five years and lifted the League Cup and FA Cup in the 2021/22 season.
His younger brother Andre played in midfield for FC Penafiel in Portugal’s second tier.
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