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Spanish police reveal for the first time who they believe was driving the £185k Lamborghini that killed Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva

Spanish police reveal for the first time who they believe was driving the £185k Lamborghini that killed Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva

Daily Mail​2 days ago
Spanish police say they are confident that Diogo Jota was at the wheel when his Lamborghini came off the road last week, killing the Liverpool star and his brother.
Detectives investigating the fatal crash involving the forward's acid green Lamborghini Huracan also say tests have suggested the car was travelling 'way in excess' of the speed limit, said to be 120kmh (74mph).
The 28–year–old father–of–three and his younger brother Andre Silva were travelling by road to the UK after Jota was advised by doctors not to fly following surgery.
But the vehicle came off the road and burst into flames after what was initially suspected to be a tyre blow–out as the car performed an overtake. Both are thought to have died almost instantly.
In only their second official statement since last week's crash on the A–62 near Zamora, close to Spain 's north–west border with Portugal, Spain's Civil Guard said it believed that Jota had been driving.
It said of the progress of its investigation: 'The expert report is still being worked on and finalised.
'Among other things traffic police from the Zamora branch of the Civil Guard are studying the tread marked by one of the wheels of the vehicle.
'Everything is also pointing to a possible high excess of speed over the permitted speed on that stretch of the motorway.
'All the tests carried out for the moment point to the driver of the crash vehicle being Diogo Jota.
'The expert police report when it is finalised will be handed over to a court in Puebla de Sanabria.'
The statement came after an independent expert claimed the road on which the crash occurred was peppered with 'many faults' and had been the scene of a near–fatal smash just days earlier, an expert has said.
Javier Lopez Delgado believed the road surface had been a contributing factor to the men's deaths – and did not believe speed was the only factor in the tragedy.
Mr Lopez Delgado, president of the Spanish Association of Road Safety Auditors (ASEVI), pointed the finger at 'multiple factors' including the driving speed, saying: 'If they had been going at 55mph they probably wouldn't have been killed.
'It seems very clear they were going very fast because of the skid marks.'
It is not yet clear whether the Civil Guard or the investigating court awaiting the full police report will make the findings public and officials have not yet said who was driving.
Speaking on the day of the crash in the sparsely–populated municipality of Cernadilla just ten miles over the border with Portugal, the force said: 'Everything is pointing to a tyre blowout as the car was overtaking.
'As a result of the accident, the car caught fire and both occupants died.'
In comments to local paper La Opinion de Zamora, expert engineer Mr Lopez Delgado said even if the blown–out tyre was not in the 'right condition' or at the 'correct pressure', it would not be the only factor in the crash.
He told La Opinion de Zamora the central reservation barrier the siblings slammed into acted as an 'obstacle' because 'the length and angle of incidence were not correct.'
Referencing another accident in the same spot eight days earlier in which a 60–year–old woman was severely injured and had to be cut free from the wreckage of her vehicle by firefighters, Mr Lopez Delgado said: 'it could be a coincidence but I'm not a big believer in coincidences.
'When two different cars come off the road at the same kilometre point something's up.'
Town hall sources in Cernadilla, home to just over 100 people, branded the A–52 highway where last Thursday's crash happened as 'very dangerous' after it emerged dad–of–three Diogo, 28, and his 25–year–old brother had died.
One quoted by local press said last Thursday: 'As it passes through Cernadilla it is full of bends at 120 kilometres per hour.
'Exceeding the speed limit or poor visibility at night are often the cause of accidents in these areas.
'Today it was two famous footballers, who had a great career ahead of them, but perhaps tomorrow the victims will be two more anonymous people.'
The road, also popularly as the Rias Bajas motorway, has also been described as an accident blackspot due to the regular presence of wild animals, in particular Iberian wolves and deer which are often the cause of collisions.
The car the brothers were driving in burst into flames following the crash (pictured is the remains of the Lamborghini the pair were in at the time)
The Civil Guard said hours after the crash in its only official statement so far : 'A road accident occurred this morning at 00.30 hours at kilometre 65 of the A52, in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora.
'A vehicle left the road, everything points to a tyre blowout while overtaking.
'As a result of the accident, the car caught fire and both occupants died. Pending the conclusion of the expert tests, the identification of one of the deceased is Diogo Jota, a Liverpool FC player, and his brother Andre Felipe.'
Diogo Jota was heading to the northern Spanish port city of Santander with his brother to catch a ferry to the UK and carry on to Liverpool after the Liverpool player and Portuguese international was advised not to travel by plane following lung surgery.
He had married his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, mum to their three young children, on June 22.
The siblings' funerals took place on Saturday at a church in their hometown of Gondomar near Porto.
Several Liverpool players and Diogo's Portugal teammates were among those who attended after paying their last respects at a wake the previous day.
News of the tragic came as it was Jota's widow could stand to inherit up to £35million from his estate for the financial security of her and their three children, MailOnline can reveal.
Jota first signed a contract with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018 which saw him earn £38,000 a week.
Two years of these wages saw him earn £3,952,000 before he hit the big time with a move to Anfield, where the first two years of his four year contract at £83,000 per week saw him pocket another £8,632,000.
As a result of his phenomenal talent, Liverpool then extended the deal for five years in 2022 and upped his wages to £140,000 in a contract that saw him earn £21,840,000 before his tragic death.
Built into this was performance bonuses, and his 65 goals in 182 games contributed to his wealth. However, he was also an Esports entrepreneur and global brand ambassador.
Jota was due to receive another £14.5million for the remaining two years of his contract, which despite reports in Portuguese media suggesting Liverpool will honour, has not yet been confirmed.
It means Jota's total earnings of around £34.4million since arriving in the Premier League could be inherited by Rute and their two sons Dinis, four, Duarte, two, and their eight–month–old baby daughter Mafalda.
It is not known how much of this money he had spent, but a chunk of it had been invested in a five–bedroom, four–bathroom house in the upmarket north Liverpool suburb of Blundellsands.
According to publicly available Land Registry documents, Jota and his wife bought the house in May 2022 for £2,125,000, where they rubbed shoulders with other players.
The house had been listed for three years before selling and had been previously rented out.
A brochure of the house available online shows an ornately tiled marble entrance hall leading to a reception area with a brass and wrought iron staircase.
The ground floor living area has Georgian style double doors, underfloor heating and a Bose sound system.
In the kitchen there are two sink units and a five hob Gaggenau cooker, wine chiller and fitted walnut units with granite work surfaces.
The indoor pool is 39ft long and there is also a jacuzzi and steam room, while the games room has a snooker table and a pool table.
Also on the ground floor is an eight–seat home cinema room with a surround sound system.
Companies House records in the UK also show that Jota set up an image rights company called Minute J Ltd in February 2023 to channel some of his football earnings and his father Joaquim was also associated with it.
The first set of accounts filed in December 2024 cover the period the initial first 12 months of the company and show it made £186,754 but owed creditors £49,786, with the bulk of £44,825 to HMRC for Corporation Tax.
Football players often set up image rights companies as a way to control earnings from things like name, nickname, squad number which might be used in sponsorship, merchandising and endorsements.
Besides his earnings from football Jota also had lucrative deals with Nike and EA Sports bringing in an estimated £3.3million a year and he set up his own Esports team called Luna Galaxy.
According to Portuguese media, Jota also had a collection of luxury cars worth more than £1million including a Range Rover Sport, Porsche 911 Turbo S, a Ferrari 488, an Audi Q7 and a Mercedes–Benz G63AMG.
Website, The Richest, in a detailed profile of Jota's financial worth, said: 'He left behind a financial legacy few soccer players achieve so young.
'His business smart matched his on–field vision, he left behind a blueprint for how athletes can build wealthy and legacy beyond the pitch.'
Jota's tragic death came just 13 days after he wedded Rute, his teenage sweetheart.
At the ceremony he declared himself the luckiest man in the world to be her husband and a series of emotional images and videos were posted to social media of their special day.
Many who were there on what Rute described as that 'dream come true' wedding day then had to devastatingly fly in for Jota and his brother's funeral just over two weeks later.
Family and friends, including footballers, came from all corners of the globe to the 17th–century Igreja Matriz church.
It was there that they heard the Bishop of Porto, D. Manuel Linda, send a message to the couple's three children.
The bishop said: 'At this moment you are suffering immensely or perhaps not because you do not realise it. The ones who suffer a lot are your mother and your grandparents.
'Seeing the mortal remains of a child must be a greater torment, but when there are two urns there are no words.
'If it is difficult to see an adult cry, it is even more difficult to see a child cry. I send you a special greeting for your mother and grandparents.'
Mourners wore Diogo Jota shirts and paid tribute at Anfield Stadium following his tragic death
Both coffins were carried through the front doors of the church to the sound of violins and applause in a procession led by two priests at 10am.
Jota's Liverpool team–mates flew in overnight. They included Virgil van Dijk, the club's captain, and Andrew Robertson, who carried red wreaths in the shape of football shirts emblazoned with Jota's number 20 and his brother's number 30.
Former Liverpool players, including Jordan Henderson and James Milner, were also present.
Jota and his brother were 190 miles into a trip from Porto to Santander, where he planned to take a ferry to England, when they crashed in the Spanish province of Zamora.
Their bodies were buried, not cremated, in a graveyard screened by olive trees. Jota's team–mates from his former club Wolves, including Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio, joined club officials to pay their respects.
They were spotted escorting a Wolves–themed wreath which read: 'Diogo your desire to fight and win lit up Molineux.'
Speaking after the service, Roberto Martinez, the Portugal manager, was emotional as he told of his sadness over the tragedy.
He said: 'I can only say that these are very, very sad days. Today was a demonstration for Diogo and Andre that we are all together and that we are Portugal.
'Now, I would like to thank everyone for their presence, for all the messages from all over the world. We are with Andre Silva and Diogo Jota. Always, always with us.'
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Two eye-witnesses of Diogo Jota crash refute Spanish police claims about tragedy
Two eye-witnesses of Diogo Jota crash refute Spanish police claims about tragedy

Daily Mirror

time27 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Two eye-witnesses of Diogo Jota crash refute Spanish police claims about tragedy

Diogo Jota, 28, died alongside his 26-year-old brother, Andre Silva, in a car crash in northern Spain last Thursday and police have suggested that the Liverpool star was speeding A second witness has come forward to refute Spanish police claims Liverpool star Diogo Jota appeared to be speeding when he crashed his Lamborghini supercar. Traffic cops in Zamora near Spain's north-west border with Portugal said on Tuesday everything was pointing to the dad-of-three driving and possibly doing well above the 120kph (74mph) speed limit after revealing they believed the acid green £180,000 Lamborghini Huracan had suffered a tyre blowout. On Wednesday, a Portuguese lorry driver claiming to be the trucker who filmed Jota's car in flames on the A-52 in Cernadilla near Zamora insisted the vehicle passed him 'super calmly' and 'without speeding.' Jose Azevedo also said in a selfie video he grabbed a fire extinguisher and tried to help but there was 'nothing' he could do to save the Liverpool winger and his footballer brother Andre Silva who also died in last Thursday's crash. ‌ Today a trucker named locally as Jose Aleixo Duarte told Portuguese tabloid Correio da Manha he was overtaken by Jota's car five minutes before the accident and it was going at a 'moderate speed.' He also slammed the road conditions where the fatal crash occurred, saying it was in a 'bad state.' ‌ Mr Azevedo became the first person to come forward as an eye-witness yesterday and identify himself as the author of footage that went viral last week showing Diogo Jota's car in flames. He said in a daytime selfie video shot from his lorry cab justifying his decision to speak out. 'There's a video on the Internet, on TV, of Diogo Jota's car on fire at night,' Mr Azevedo said. 'Supposedly it was a lorry driver who filmed it and didn't provide first aid. Well, that lorry driver was me. I filmed it and I have proof of it.' During the four-minute video he turned his mobile phone towards his name on his lorry tachograph, which matched the name on the HGV dashboard tachograph in the night-time footage of Jota's burning supercar. Both sets of footage also show a slightly cracked windscreen which Mr Azevedo offered up as more proof he was telling the truth about seeing the crash. ‌ He said: 'I stopped, grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to help. Because of the impact of the accident - forget it - there was nothing I could do. Nothing, absolutely nothing! 'As for the family, my condolences, my sincere feelings. I have a clear conscience, I know what I saw. They passed me super calmly, without speeding, without speeding.' Making no mention of going to the police after witnessing the crash, Mr Azevedo said: 'I didn't even know who was in the Lamborghini that day. I only found out the next day because, when I arrived at my destination, I shared the video with my wife, and in the morning I learnt that it was the brothers in the car. ‌ 'You have my word that they weren't speeding. They were going super-calmly. I drive this road every day, from Monday to Saturday, and I know what it's like: it's not worth s***. 'It's a dark road and I could see the make of the car, the colour of the car, everything. I filmed it, I stopped, I tried to help, but unfortunately there was nothing I could do. My conscience is clear.' ‌ He admitted he had 'thought twice' about going public but said he had been spurred into doing so by 'internet haters' who were claiming he had done nothing to assist Diogo or his brother and had only posted footage of their burning Lamborghini for "likes." He spoke out just hours after Spanish newspaper El Mundo claimed Spanish police were still trying to identify or locate crash eye-witnesses including the person behind the viral video of the footballers' Lamborghini in flames. In only their second official statement since last week's horror crash, the Civil Guard said on Tuesday: 'The expert report is still being worked on and finalised. 'Among other things traffic police from the Zamora branch of the Civil Guard are studying the tread marked by one of the wheels of the vehicle. Everything is also pointing to a possible high excess of speed over the permitted speed on that stretch of the motorway. ‌ 'All the tests carried out for the moment point to the driver of the crash vehicle being Diogo Jota. The expert police report when it is finalised will be handed over to a court in Puebla de Sanabria.' The force said the same day of the 12.30am crash 'Everything is pointing to a tyre blowout as the car was overtaking. As a result of the accident, the car caught fire and both occupants died.' ‌ Spanish road safety expert Javier Lopez Delgado has pointed the finger at 'multiple factors' including the driving speed, saying: 'If they had been going at 55mph they probably wouldn't have been killed. It seems very clear they were going very fast because of the skid marks.' Mr Lopez Delgado, president of the Spanish Association of Road Safety Auditors (ASEVI), also said he believed the road surface had been a contributing factor to the men's deaths, insisting: 'You can clearly see it had many faults.' In comments to local paper La Opinion de Zamora earlier this week, the expert engineer said a tyre blowout he linked to the tyre not being in the 'right conditions or having the correct pressure', wouldn't be the only factor in the crash. He told La Opinion de Zamora the central reservation barrier the siblings crashed into acted as an 'obstacle' because 'the length and angle of incidence were not correct.' ‌ Referencing another accident in the same spot eight days earlier in which a 60-year-old woman was severely injured and had to be cut free from the wreckage of her vehicle by firefighters, Mr Lopez Delgado said: 'It could be a coincidence but I'm not a big believer in coincidences. When two different cars come off the road at the same kilometre point something's up.' Diogo Jota was heading to the northern Spanish port city of Santander with his brother to catch a ferry to the UK and carry on to Liverpool by car after being advised not to travel by plane following lung surgery. He had married his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, mum to their three young children, on June 22. The siblings' funerals took place on Saturday at a church in their hometown of Gondomar near Porto. Several Liverpool players and Diogo's Portugal teammates were among those who attended after paying their last respects at a wake the previous day.

Truck driver who filmed Diogo Jota car crash aftermath disputes police report
Truck driver who filmed Diogo Jota car crash aftermath disputes police report

Metro

time8 hours ago

  • Metro

Truck driver who filmed Diogo Jota car crash aftermath disputes police report

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A truck driver who filmed the aftermath of Diogo Jota's car crash has disputed claims that the Liverpool footballer was speeding in his Lamborghini before the accident. Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva both died last Thursday when they were travelling along the A-52 motorway in north-west Spain in the early hours of the morning. Jota's bright green Lamborghini Huracan suffered a suspected tyre blowout before it veered off the road and burst into flames. A preliminary report from Spain's Guardia Civil police force has revealed that Jota was most likely the driver of the car, while evidence from the crash 'points to a possible excessive speed beyond the speed limit of the road'. Jose Azevedo, a Portuguese truck driver, was travelling along the A-52 when he encountered the burning Lamborghini with Jota and his younger brother inside the vehicle. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. Azevedo, who filmed the car on fire as he approached the accident in his truck, says he tried to put out the flames and insists the Lamborghini did not appear to be exceeding the 120km/h (75mph) speed limit. 'The truck driver, which was me, filmed it, stopped, grabbed the fire extinguisher and tried to help. I tried to help but due to the impact of the accident, there was nothing I could do, absolutely nothing,' Azevedo said in a video. 'They passed me completely calmly and were not speeding. You have my word they weren't speeding. They were completely relaxed. 'I drive this road Monday through Saturday and I know it's a terrible place. It's a dark road. I could see the make and colour of the car. 'I offer my sincere condolences. I have a clear conscience, I know what I saw. Unfortunately, that's how it ended. I stopped filming, tried to help, but unfortunately, there was nothing I could do.' Spain's Guardia Civil said: 'The expert report is still being worked on and finalised. 'Among other things traffic police from the Zamora branch of the Civil Guard are studying the tread marked by one of the wheels of the vehicle. 'Everything is also pointing to a possible high excess of speed over the permitted speed on that stretch of the motorway. 'All the tests carried out for the moment point to the driver of the crash vehicle being Diogo Jota. More Trending 'The expert police report when it is finalised will be handed over to a court in Puebla de Sanabria.' Jota was travelling to the northern Spanish port of Santander to take a ferry to England ahead of his return to Liverpool for the start of their pre-season campaign. The 28-year-old father-of-three, who won the Premier League title with Liverpool last season and married his partner Rute Cardoso 11 days before the crash, had been advised not to fly after undergoing a lung procedure. Jota and Andre Silva were buried in their home city of Gondomar near Porto last Saturday. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: PSG star copies Diogo Jota celebration as European kings thrash Real Madrid MORE: Man Utd receive new transfer bid for Alejandro Garnacho with talks underway MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold out of Real Madrid Club World Cup semi-final vs PSG with injury

Diogo Jota was NOT speeding in car crash that killed Liverpool star and his brother, insists lorry driver who filmed first video of aftermath as he disputes police report
Diogo Jota was NOT speeding in car crash that killed Liverpool star and his brother, insists lorry driver who filmed first video of aftermath as he disputes police report

Daily Mail​

time11 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Diogo Jota was NOT speeding in car crash that killed Liverpool star and his brother, insists lorry driver who filmed first video of aftermath as he disputes police report

A truck driver who claims to have seen the Lamborghini of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva on fire has promised the brothers' family that the car was not speeding when it crashed. A preliminary report said on Tuesday that the car was probably speeding at the time of the crash, which saw the car burst into flames and claim the lives of the two footballers. Forensics have been analysing the forensics team is analysing the marks left by the car's wheels, with it suggested that a tyre burst. They are trying to determine whether excessive speed caused the crash, police said in a statement. The video comes just hours after the revelation that a female driver nearly died on the same dangerous highway that the brothers were driving on just days before the fatal accident. A 60-year-old woman was seriously injured at kilometre 65, on the same road Jota died, last Wednesday at around 11.30am (local time). Her car had come off the road, while driving towards Benavente, leaving the woman trapped. She was later freed by firefighters and taken to hospital, Spanish outlet AS reports. Jose Azevedo has now recorded a video seemingly filmed from a truck at the angle of a dashboard, promising the family that the car was not travelling above the speed limit when the incident took place. 'I filmed it, stopped, tried to help, but unfortunately, there was nothing I could do,' he said in Portuguese. 'I have a clear conscience. 'I know what I went through that night because I didn't know who was inside. My condolences to the family. '[The family] have my word that they were not speeding. I could see the make of the car, the colour of the car. I drive this road every day, Monday through Saturday, I know what road it is, and it's worthless. 'It's a dark road, and I could see the make and colour of the car, everything perfectly. Later on, unfortunately, that's how it ended.' Jota, 28, was travelling in the supercar alongside his younger brother Silva, 26, a around 12.35am (local time). The tyre of the 200mph Lamborghini Huracan is said to have blown out while overtaking on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora in northwestern Spain, close to the border with Portugal. The acid green sportscar careered off the road, and rolled before bursting into flames setting alight surrounding greenery. Emergency services rushed to the scene but they unfortunately could not save the brothers. The brothers were on a road trip to Santander, northern Spain, to catch a ferry to the UK after the Liverpool player and Portuguese international was advised not to travel by plane following lung surgery. Police preparing a report on last Thursday's fatal accident are yet to say how fast they think Jota's motor was travelling (pictured is the crash site) Following the Jota's death on the road, a central government representative for the Zamora province, has since branded the A-52 road as 'very dangerous'. In 2023, there were 19 road accidents on the A-52, with an average of 1.5 deaths per incidents, according to The Mirror. The stretch of highway is also known to be 'riddled' with 'constant potholes' as locals have also previously complained of the poor signage, according to the AEA club. Around 40 pothole complaints were made by drivers to Spain's transport ministry in a single month in 2024, La Opinion de Zamora reported. The region Zamora is also known for its rugged terrain with the A-52 running through mountainous and forested areas. The area also suffers from recurrent fog spells and limited lighting. In spite of the tricky terrain, the Spanish road is a key route taken by drivers after leaving northern Portugal as they head for the ports of Santander and Bilbao or drive north-east towards France. But the road is renowned for being an area of 'irresponsible driving', totting up nearly 15,000 speeding fines in 2020, it was reported in La Opinion de Zamora. Four years ago, a campaign was launched to help control the speeding issue and bring awareness to the zones where people speed or there are frequent accidents. Spanish police, meanwhile, say they are confident that Jota was at the wheel when his Lamborghini came off the road last week, killing the Liverpool star and his brother. Spain's Civil Guard said: 'The expert report is still being worked on and finalised. 'Among other things traffic police from the Zamora branch of the Civil Guard are studying the tread marked by one of the wheels of the vehicle. 'Everything is also pointing to a possible high excess of speed over the permitted speed on that stretch of the motorway. 'All the tests carried out for the moment point to the driver of the crash vehicle being Diogo Jota. 'The expert police report when it is finalised will be handed over to a court in Puebla de Sanabria.'

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