Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota has died aged 28 after his car crashed off the side of a motorway and erupted in flames.
Jota was in the car with his 26-year-old brother, Andre, a footballer for FC Penafiel in Portugal, who also died. No other vehicles were involved in the crash shortly after midnight local time, Spanish authorities said.
The car left the road after a tyre blew out during the overtaking of another vehicle, the Spanish Civil Guard told The Independent. A charred patch of grass divides the two carriageways of the northwestern A-52 motorway, where the crumpled body of the Lamborghini lay before it was removed on Thursday.
Liverpool FC said they were “devastated” by Jota’s death and requested privacy for the family as they come to terms with an “unimaginable loss”. The Portuguese star scored 65 goals during five years at the club, in which he played a major role in a host of trophy wins.
Jota married long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children, in Porto less than two weeks ago. “A day we will never forget,” reads the caption of his last Instagram post, which shows a video of the wedding day.
Tributes poured in throughout Thursday from players, clubs, sporting figures and football fans, who just months earlier witnessed Jota win his first Premier League title.
The Portugal international joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and established himself as a key attacker under Jurgen Klopp and latterly Arne Slot, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup in his five-year spell at Anfield.
Wolves said Jota was “adored by our fans, loved by his teammates and cherished by everyone who worked with him”. They added: “The memories he created will never be forgotten.”
The Portugal national side said Jota was “not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps … but also an extraordinary person who was respected by all his teammates and opponents”.
