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, following a fatal car accident that sent shockwaves through the global football community.
Jota, 28, and Silva, 25, died on Thursday after their car veered off a motorway in northwestern Spain and burst into flames.
The tragedy came just a week after Jota married his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, with whom he shared three children. A video from the June 22 wedding had been posted by Jota mere hours before the crash.
The funeral was presided over by the bishop of Porto and attended by numerous family members, friends, and football stars, including Portugal internationals Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, Danilo Pereira, and Joao Felix. Head coach Roberto Martinez also paid his respects, although team captain Cristiano Ronaldo was notably absent.
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk led the club’s tribute, carrying a floral arrangement shaped like a Liverpool jersey with Jota’s number 20. On Friday evening, Van Dijk, along with Uruguay international Darwin Nunez and new Liverpool coach Arne Slot, joined Jota’s family at a solemn wake for the brothers.
Among those who came to console the grieving family were Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, football agent Jorge Mendes, and Porto club president Andre Villas-Boas. Jota had spent part of his early career with Porto.
“Football is truly in mourning. Diogo was an icon of the talent Portuguese football represents,” said football federation president Pedro Proenca.
The wake began with a private session for close family and friends, including Jota’s parents and elderly grandfather, who was helped into the chapel by two companions.
In a moving tribute, British rock band Oasis dedicated their song “Live Forever” to Jota during a concert in Cardiff on Friday night, marking their return to touring after 16 years.
As the wake opened to the public, tearful mourners streamed in, many carrying floral wreaths and visibly shaken by the loss. Outside Liverpool’s Anfield stadium, supporters created a sea of tributes, flowers, shirts, scarves, and balloons, with messages such as “Rest in peace Diogo Jota.” F
lags at the stadium were flown at half-mast, and a condolence book was made available.
At the Diogo Jota Football Academy, near Gondomar SC, where the forward first learned the game, supporters gathered to form a memorial of candles, flowers, and memorabilia. One child left a touching handwritten note, “Thank you, Diogo Jota.”
Pedro Neves, a schoolmate of Jota’s, recalled, “He will be remembered as someone who was very friendly, very courteous, who loved everyone, who always had a smile on his face. He left us too young, it’s not fair. But that’s how life is sometimes.”
Jurgen Klopp, former Liverpool manager who signed Jota in 2020, expressed his grief: “Heartbroken,” he said. His successor, Arne Slot, added that the entire Liverpool community owed it to Jota “to stand together and be there for one another.”
A minute’s silence was held in Jota’s memory during the Club World Cup quarter-final between Fluminense and Al Hilal in Orlando. Similar tributes occurred during UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 qualifying matches.
Reports from Portuguese and British media indicated that Jota had been en route to Santander in northern Spain to catch a ferry to the UK for pre-season training with Liverpool. He had reportedly opted against flying due to recent lung surgery and was following medical advice.
Reacting to the news, Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah admitted he felt “frightened” about returning to the club. Liverpool has since postponed the return of several players for pre-season as the club mourns the devastating loss.
