Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva were laid to rest on Saturday in their hometown of Gondomar, near Porto, just days after their tragic deaths in a car crash that has sent shockwaves through the football world.
Jota, 28, and Silva, 25, lost their lives on Thursday when their vehicle veered off a motorway in northwestern Spain and burst into flames. The devastating accident came barely a week after Jota had married his long-time partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he shared three children. Just hours before the crash, Jota had posted a video of their June 22 wedding celebration.
Family, friends, football stars, and supporters gathered to pay their last respects. The funeral service was conducted by the bishop of Porto, drawing emotional scenes from those in attendance.
Portuguese national teammates such as Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Danilo Pereira, and Joao Felix were present, along with national team coach Roberto Martinez, though team captain Cristiano Ronaldo did not attend.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk carried a wreath of red flowers shaped like a Liverpool shirt bearing Jota’s number 20. On Friday evening, Van Dijk, Liverpool’s Uruguay international Darwin Nunez, and head coach Arne Slot had met with Jota’s family and attended a wake for the two brothers.
Among those offering condolences were Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, Jota’s influential agent Jorge Mendes, and Porto club president Andre Villas-Boas. Jota had previously played for Porto before his moves to Atletico Madrid and later Liverpool.
“Football is truly in mourning. Diogo was an icon of the talent Portuguese football represents,” said football federation chief Pedro Proenca.
Close family and friends, including Jota’s parents, were the first to pay their respects at Friday’s wake. Jota’s grandfather had to be helped by two others as he entered the chapel. Mourners arrived with wreaths of flowers, many audibly sobbing, before the venue was opened to members of the public.
Friday night, British rock band Oasis performed their song “Live Forever” in tribute to Jota at a concert in Cardiff, marking their return to touring after 16 years.
Jota’s death, along with that of his brother, has led to an overwhelming outpouring of grief in the football community and beyond. Liverpool opened a book of condolences at Anfield, lowered flags to half-mast, and supporters laid flowers, balloons, shirts, and scarves bearing the message “Rest in peace Diogo Jota” outside the stadium.
At the Diogo Jota football academy, close to Gondomar SC where Jota began his football journey, fans created a moving memorial with flowers, scarves, candles, and shirts. A handwritten message from a child read, “Thank you, Diogo Jota.”
Pedro Neves, a school friend from Gondomar, said he would always remember Jota as “someone who was very friendly, very courteous, who loved everyone, who always had a smile on his face.” He added, “He left us too young, it’s not fair. But that’s how life is sometimes.”
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who signed Jota for the Reds in 2020, described himself as “heartbroken.” The club said it was an “unimaginable loss,” while current manager Slot remarked that everyone at Liverpool owed it to Jota to “stand together and be there for one another.”
Jota was also remembered on the global stage. A one-minute silence was held at the Club World Cup quarter-final in Orlando between Brazil’s Fluminense and Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, and a similar tribute took place at UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 matches.
Portuguese and UK media reported that Jota had been driving to the northern Spanish port of Santander to board a ferry to England, as Liverpool were scheduled to begin pre-season training on Friday. He reportedly chose to travel by road rather than fly, following medical advice after a recent lung operation.
Liverpool’s Egyptian star Mohamed Salah admitted that the sudden death of his teammate had left him “frightened” to return to the club, while the Premier League champions decided to postpone the return of some players for pre-season preparations in respect of the tragedy.
