Diogo Jota
Liverpool star Diogo Jota, aged 28, dies in a car accident, two weeks after his wedding day.
The Portuguese forward was travelling in his Lamborghini with his younger brother Andre, 26, a fellow professional footballer who also died in the crash in the early hours of this morning.
The tyre of the supercar, reportedly a £150,000 Urus SUV was said to have blown out while overtaking on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora in northwestern Spain, close to the border with Portugal.
The Lamborghini r came off the road, rolled and then burst into flames at around 12.35am, also igniting the surrounding vegetation. The emergency services were called but the brothers could not be saved. Police say they don’t yet know who was driving.
The tragedy comes just two weeks after Jota married his long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso in his native town Portugal. They have three children, the youngest born last year.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro confirmed the news of Jota’s death on Thursday in a post released on the social media platform X.
“The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honoured Portugal’s name and his brother is unexpected and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to their family. It is a sad day for football and for national and international sports”, said Montenegro.
Diogo was born Diogo Silva, but changed his surname to Jota to stand out because it is a common surname. His brother Andre kept the family name. The boys were the only children of parents Joaquim and Isabel Silva.
Liverpool FC said it is “devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota” and requested privacy for the family as they come to terms with the “unimaginable loss”.
Jota was part of Liverpool’s Premier League-winning side in the 2024/25 campaign, scoring six goals in 26 appearances. He also played for Portugal’s national team and helped it win the Nations League last month in an extraordinary win over rivals Spain on penalties.
Tributes are pouring in from vast numbers of former players, clubs, sporting figures, and footballing fans.
National teammate Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute on Instagram. “Doesn’t make any sense,” he wrote. “Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you were married.
“To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them.”
Among the tributes are many former players, including Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who said: “Devastating news about Diogo Jota & his brother Andre this morning.
“Thoughts are with everyone of their family & friends, especially his wife Rute & their three lovely kids.”
UEFA said its thoughts were with relatives, friends and teammates affected “by this heartbreaking loss.” It said a moment of silence will be observed at Euro 2025 matches on Thursday and Friday.
