Family of Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother gather at chapel ahead of wake and funeral

By Canadian Press on July 4, 2025.

GONDOMAR, Portugal (AP) — Family and friends of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother are gathering Friday at a church where their bodies have been brought for a wake and funeral, after the Portuguese soccer players were killed in a car crash in Spain.

Some hugged and wept before entering the Capela da Ressurreição São Cosme, where the funeral for the siblings is planned for Saturday.

Jota, 28, and his 25-year-old brother, André Silva, were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed on an isolated stretch of highway just after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames.

Their bodies were repatriated to Portugal after being identified by the family, Spanish government officials said.

Jota and his parents both have homes in Gondomar, where he started his playing career as a child. Gondomar is a working-class town next to Porto, where Jota was born.

Jota’s death occurred two weeks after he married long-time partner Rute Cardoso while on vacation from a long season where he helped Liverpool win the Premier League title. The couple had three children, the youngest born last year.

Spanish police are investigating the cause of the crash, which did not involve another vehicle, they said.

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Filipe Bento And Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press