Heartbreaking Goodbye: Diogo Jota and Brother Buried Together as Football Stars Weep in Portugal
An emotional cloud hung over Portugal as Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his younger brother André Silva were laid to rest side by side on Saturday morning, July 5 just days after their tragic and fiery crash in Spain.
The funeral service, held at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar, drew a sea of mourners not just family and friends, but some of the biggest names in world football. Leading the Liverpool delegation was captain Virgil van Dijk, flanked by Andy Robertson, Darwin Núñez, Alexis Mac Allister, Joe Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch, Conor Bradley, Cody Gakpo, head coach Arne Slot, sporting director Richard Hughes, and football CEO Michael Edwards.
Jota’s Portuguese national teammates also stood in solemn tribute including Bernardo Silva, Rúben Dias, João Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes, and Rúben Neves visibly shaken by the devastating loss.
Jota, 28, and his 25-year-old brother Silva died early Thursday when their Lamborghini lost control on a remote highway near Zamora, Spain. The car reportedly suffered a tire blowout while overtaking, then burst into flames upon impact.
The brothers were en route to Santander, where Jota was set to take a ferry back to the UK and return to Liverpool after his summer holiday one that had included marrying his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, just two weeks before the fatal crash.
Jota and Rute shared three young children. The youngest was born just last year.
The football world is still stunned. A player at the height of his career, a newlywed, and a loving father gone in a flash.
