Liverpool, Portugal Mourn Diogo Jota At Funeral/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Liverpool and Portugal national team players gathered in Gondomar, Portugal, for the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who died in a tragic car crash. Emotional tributes poured in as hundreds attended the packed church service. The brothers’ passing has united the football world in grief.
GONDOMAR, Portugal (AP) — The football world united in grief on Saturday as family, friends, and teammates gathered in Gondomar, Portugal, for the funeral of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother André Silva, following their tragic deaths in a car crash in Spain.
Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk carried a red floral tribute shaped like a football shirt, emblazoned with Jota’s No. 20. Fellow Liverpool player Andrew Robertson bore a matching arrangement featuring the No. 30 in honor of André Silva, who played for Portuguese side Penafiel. Liverpool’s new coach Arne Slot was also present, supporting his grieving squad.
Portuguese international Rúben Neves, who had flown back from the Club World Cup in the United States, served as a pallbearer for Jota. Neves, along with João Cancelo, had played for Al Hilal on Friday and were visibly emotional during the minute of silence held before their match in Orlando.
A United Farewell In Gondomar
The funeral service took place at Igreja Matriz church in Gondomar, the town where Jota owned a home and where he began his football journey with local club Gondomar FC at just nine years old.
Church bells rang out as mourners gathered under grey skies. Pallbearers solemnly carried the brothers’ caskets from a neighboring chapel into the packed church, while hundreds more gathered outside, listening to the service through loudspeakers.
Portugal’s National Team Coach Roberto Martínez Attended, Along with Top Portuguese Stars Like Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias, and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.
The Bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, led the funeral mass. Afterward, mourners followed the coffins to the nearby cemetery, where the brothers were laid to rest side by side.
Tragic Circumstances Of The Crash
Jota, 28, and Silva, 25, were discovered lifeless near Zamora, in northwestern Spain, early Thursday after their Lamborghini crashed and burst into flames on a remote highway. Spanish police have ruled out the involvement of another vehicle and suspect a blown tire may have caused the fatal accident.
The brothers were reportedly en route to catch a ferry from northern Spain to Englandwhere Jota was preparing to rejoin Liverpool following a summer break.
Jota’s death comes just two weeks after he married his long-time partner, Rute Cardosocapping off a season in which he helped Liverpool win the Premier League title. He leaves behind three children, the youngest born last year.
The tragedy has sparked an outpouring of condolences from the football world and Portuguese leaders, uniting fans and players in sorrow for two lives cut far too short.
More on Sports
