The international football and sports community have continued sending tributes and condolences to Liverpool, Portugal and the whole body of football after Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, died in a car crash in Spain.
The accident which occurred on the A-52 motorway in the Zamora province, near the Portuguese border, at around 00:30 local time (23:30 BST) involved, a Lamborghini that left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle and subsequently caught fire.
Jota, 28, had recently undergone minor surgery and was advised by doctors not to fly. As a result, he was driving from Porto to Santander to catch a ferry to England for pre-season training with Liverpool.
The couple had three children together, and Jota had married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, just last month.
Liverpool FC said they were “devastated” by the loss, while former manager Jurgen Klopp expressed his heartbreak, saying, “We will miss you so much.” The Portuguese national team also paid tribute, with Cristiano Ronaldo saying the news “doesn’t make sense.”
Fans gathered outside Anfield, Liverpool’s stadium, to lay floral tributes and pay their respects to Jota. The scene is one of stunned grief, with many fans describing themselves as “heartbroken” and “dejected” by the news.
The football community is in mourning, and the loss of Jota will be felt deeply by his family, friends, and fans around the world.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing, with authorities working to identify the bodies through DNA tests.
The regional government of Castilla y León has set up teams to provide psychological assistance to the family and information services in Portuguese and English.
The news of Jota’s death comes as a shock to the small province of Zamora, which is not accustomed to making headlines. The area is now flooded with international media, and the local community is grappling with the tragedy.
