Family members, friends, and figures from the world of football will come together on Saturday to pay their final respects to Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, who died in a tragic car accident just two days earlier.
The fatal crash occurred on Thursday in northwestern Spain when their vehicle left the motorway and caught fire. The heartbreaking event came barely a week after Jota, 28, had married his long-term partner. His brother, André, was 25.
The funeral is being held in Jota’s hometown of Gondomar, near Porto, and will commence at 9:00 GMT. Reports indicate the service will be led by the Bishop of Porto.
On Friday, hundreds gathered to attend a wake for the brothers. Among the mourners were President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, Jota’s agent Jorge Mendes, and Porto president André Villas-Boas.
“Portuguese football is in deep mourning. Diogo was a shining symbol of our nation’s footballing talent,” said Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proença.
The immediate family, including Jota’s parents and grandfather, were the first to enter the chapel. Many mourners arrived visibly emotional, laying floral tributes, with some weeping as they paid their respects.
The tragic deaths have prompted an outpouring of grief across Portugal and beyond.
At Anfield, Liverpool FC lowered its flags to half-mast and opened a book of condolence. Supporters left flowers, shirts, scarves, and messages outside the stadium, including a sign that read, “Rest in peace Diogo Jota”.
Tributes also poured in at the Diogo Jota Football Academy and his former youth club, Gondomar SC, where a growing memorial of candles, flowers, shirts and handwritten notes took shape.
“Thank you, Diogo Jota,” read one message from a child. A former school friend, Pedro Neves, described him as a kind, humble and cheerful person who always had time for others. “He left us too soon. It’s so unfair,” said Neves.
Jürgen Klopp, the manager who signed Jota to Liverpool in 2020, expressed his heartbreak at the news. New Liverpool boss Arne Slot called it an “unimaginable loss” and said the club would stand united in grief.
Jota was honoured with a minute’s silence before the Club World Cup quarter-final between Fluminense and Al Hilal in Orlando on Friday night.
Media outlets in Portugal and the UK reported that Jota had been driving towards Santander to catch a ferry to the UK, hoping to avoid flying following a recent lung operation. He was due to begin pre-season training with Liverpool the next day.
Mohamed Salah, Jota’s Liverpool teammate, said he was deeply shaken by the tragedy and admitted to feeling frightened about returning to the club. In response, Liverpool postponed the return of several players to training.
Jota married his longtime partner Rute Cardoso on June 22. The couple had three children. He had shared a video of their wedding on Instagram shortly before the crash.
