Liverpool forward Diogo Jota passes away in car crash alongside his brother André Silva

Jota aged 28 

©IMAGO

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, also a footballer for Portuguese side Penafiel, have passed away in a car crash near Zamora, in northwestern Spain. Jota, 28, had married his long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso just two weeks ago, and they had three children. The Portuguese forward had become one of the Premier League’s best strikers, scoring 63 goals and providing 24 assists in 190 games in the English top-flight.

Jota started his youth career at Portuguese team Gondomar, before moving to Paços Ferreira. It was from there that he signed for Spanish club Atlético Madrid for €7 million in 2016. He then had loan spells back in Portugal and with Premier League side Wolves, before signing permanently for the Midlands club in 2018. Jota then signed for Liverpool in September 2020 from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee of more than €44.7m.

For Liverpool, Jota scored 65 goals in 182 games in all competitions, as well as winning numerous trophies. He won the FA Cup with the Reds in 2020 and two EFL Cups in 2022 and 2024, before lifting the Premier League trophy last season. Jota had also represented his country Portugal 49 times, scoring 14 goals for his nation. In a club statement Liverpool said, “Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support.”

The following statement was released by the Portuguese Football Federation, “The entire Portuguese football community are devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva in Spain this morning. Diogo Jota was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person who was respected by all his teammates and opponents. He had a contagious joy and was a reference point in his own community.

“On behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation and myself, I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Diogo and André, as well as Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the respective clubs of the players. The Portuguese Football Federation has asked UEFA to hold a minute’s silence ahead of our national team’s match against Spain in the Women’s European Championship on Thursday. We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day.”