KLIK SAJA - Diogo Jota, a Liverpool forward, has died in a car accident in northern Spain at the age of 28.
In the tragic incident, he was traveling with his 25-year-old brother, Andre Silva, who also lost his life.
Jota had just married the mother of his three children, Rute Cardoso, two weeks ago.
"The 1-1-2 Castilla y León emergency operations center received several reports of a vehicle accident at Km. 65 of the A-52 highway, in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora. A car was reported to have crashed and caught fire," read a statement from the emergency services in the Castilla y León region.
Jota leaves behind a wife and three children.
He began his professional career with Paços de Ferreira in 2014 before joining Atlético Madrid.
During his time in the Spanish capital, he was loaned out to both Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The striker moved to Wolves permanently in 2018. His impressive performances caught the attention of Liverpool, who signed him in the summer of 2020.
While playing for Liverpool, Jota scored 65 goals and provided 26 assists in 182 appearances. Prior to that, he registered 44 goals and 19 assists in 131 games for Wolves.
Last season, he recorded nine goals and four assists in 37 matches for Liverpool. On the international stage, Jota made 49 appearances for the Portugal national team, scoring 14 goals and delivering 12 assists.
According to local media reports in Spain, firefighters, paramedics, and police rushed to the scene shortly after midnight on Thursday morning. The vehicle involved, reportedly a Lamborghini, was said to have caught fire.
“The Portuguese Football Federation and the entire Portuguese football community are deeply saddened by the deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva this morning in Spain,” read an official statement.
“More than just an exceptional player with nearly 50 caps for the senior national team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary individual, respected by teammates and opponents alike. He was full of infectious joy and served as a role model within the community.”
“On behalf of myself and the Portuguese Football Federation, we extend our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Diogo and André Silva, as well as to Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs where they respectively played.”