Soccer Star Diogo Jota, 28, Mourned by Loved Ones and Teammates at Funeral Following His Fatal Family Car Crash

Friends, family and former teammates gathered for the funeral of Liverpool FC soccer star Diogo Jota and his brother, soccer player André Silva, in their hometown of Gondoma, Portugal, on Saturday, July 5.

Jota, 28, and Silva, 25, died in a car crash in the Spanish province of Zamora on Thursday, July 3, per the BBC and Sky News. Jota had married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, less than two weeks earlier on June 22.

Several of Jota’s current and former Liverpool teammates, including club captain Virgil Van Dijk and manager Arne Slot, carried floral tributes in the shape of soccer jerseys into the chapel. 

Manchester City's Bernardo Silva — who also spoke at the funeral — per the U.K. outlet Express, was seen carrying an arrangement of white flowers.

A number of other players, including Bruno Fernandes, João Cancelo, Renato Veiga, João Félix, José Fonte, Danilo and Adrien Silva, were also in attendance, per ESPN. 

The outlet further reported that past and present teammates were among the pallbearers who carried Jota and Silva’s caskets into the church.

Jota’s wife — with whom he shared three young children — was seen trailing behind the casket while being consoled by friends and family. A large crowd also gathered outside the private church service to pay their respects.

Roberto Martínez, the head coach of Portugal’s national soccer team, was also in attendance.

“Today was a day that we showed that we are a very, very large but close family,” Martínez said in a statement to reporters outside the church, per CNN. “We are Portugal … we are together and we will always be together.”

Tributes to the brothers have popped up across the world. A moment of silence was held before the Club World Cup on July 4, where several of Jota’s former teammates appeared visibly emotional. Thousands of fans also made their way to Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, on July 5 to pay their respects during the time of the funeral.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota’s teammate on the Portuguese national team, said his death "doesn't make any sense” in a July 3 statement on Instagram. 

"Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you were married," he wrote. "To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. R.I.P. Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you."

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Liverpool FC shared a black-and-white photo of the two brothers on X on July 5, captioning the post, "Rest in peace, Diogo and André."

The club previously issued a press release announcing the news of the loss, adding, "Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and André’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," they added.

Jota played in 182 games for Liverpool since joining from the Wolverhampton Wonderers in 2020, per ESPN. He earned the Premier League title in May, and he previously won the FA Cup and two Carabao Cups. He also recently won the UEFA Nations League, having previously done so in 2019, according to the outlet. 

The cause of the car crash that killed Jota and Silva is currently being investigated by police, per the Associated Press.