“Oh and this happened yesterday!”
Liverpool soccer star Diogo Jota has died in a car crash. He was 28.
According to BBC, Jota and his 25-year-old brother, André Silva, were driving a Lamborghini when it veered off the road due to a tire blowout and burst into flames in the Spanish province of Zamora.
Jota and Silva were pronounced dead at around 12:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, July 3, per BBC.
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According to The Associated Press (AP), the two brothers were alone in the car and no other vehicles were involved in the crash. It’s unclear at this time who was behind the wheel.
The accident comes less than one month after Jota helped Portugal win the UEFA Nations League.
It also comes less than two weeks after Jota married his long-time girlfriend Rute Cardoso. The pair, who share three children together, according to People, tied the knot on June 22.
“Yes to forever,” Cardoso wrote on Instagram June 27.
“A day we will never forget,” Jota wrote in a post of his own the day before he died.
Jota spent the past five years with Liverpool after signing a long-term deal with the club in 2020. He scored 65 goals in 182 appearances with the team and helped them win three major trophies.
Liverpool won the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022 and the Premier League title in 2024.
His brother, who played for Portuguese second-tier club Penafiel, was also a professional footballer.
According to the AP, police are still investigating what caused the crash. Fans have already started placing flowers and team scarves outside Anfield Stadium, the home of Liverpool Football Club.
Tributes continue to pour in for Jota and Silva
Jota and Silva’s deaths were confirmed by the Portuguese Football Federation (PFF) on July 3.
“Much more than just a fantastic player, with almost 50 caps for the National A Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all his teammates and opponents,” the PFF wrote in a press release.
“Someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself,” they added.
The PFF has asked UEFA to observe a moment of silence prior to Portugal’s scheduled match against Spain on Thursday, July 3 for the Women’s European Championship.
“We have lost two champions,” they wrote in the statement. “We will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day.”
Liverpool also released a statement July 3, but declined to comment on Jota’s passing to respect his family’s privacy.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a teammate of Jota with Portugal’s national team, took to Instagram to send his condolences and express his frustration at the timing of his death.
“Doesn't make any sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you were married,” Ronaldo wrote in a caption alongside a black and white photo of Jota.
“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,” he added.
Portugal’s prime minister Luis Montenegro described the deaths as “unexpected” and “tragic.”
"I extend my deepest condolences to their family. It is a sad day for football and for national and international sports,” Montenegro said in a statement, per BBC.
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Jota made his senior international debut in 2019. He also played for Atlético Madrid, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Porto and Paços de Ferreira during his career.
