Liverpool teammates gather in Portugal for Jota funeral
Club captain Virgil Van Dijk, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and manager Arne Slot were among teammates past and present who arrived in Portugal late on Friday to pay their respects to the striker and his brother, Andre Silva.
They are expected to join the grieving family and hundreds of residents of Gondomar, a small town in northern Portugal where Jota grew up, for the funeral at the Igreja Matriz church.
Rute Cardoso, who married Jota just weeks ago, is expected to be accompanied by the couple's three young children.
Jota's death at the age of 28 sent shock waves through the world of football and beyond, with messages of condolences pouring in from national leaders as well as across the sport.
The brothers were believed to have been driving to a ferry in Spain to travel to Britain when their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight on Thursday. Police said they suspected a tyre had burst.
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Malay Mail
20 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Police cite speeding as likely cause of fatal crash involving Liverpool's Diogo Jota and brother
MADRID, July 9 — Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota was likely speeding when his car veered off a motorway in Spain last week killing him and his brother, Spanish police said yesterday. The shock deaths of Jota, 28, and Andre Silva, 25, on July 3 plunged the football world into mourning, less than two weeks after the striker had got married. An ongoing investigation is examining 'the marks left by one of the vehicle's wheels... everything points to a possible excessive speed beyond the road's speed limit', the Civil Guard said. 'All the tests conducted so far indicate that the driver of the vehicle was Diogo Jota,' it added. The force had previously said a tyre had probably blown out while the vehicle was overtaking, causing it to crash and burst into flames in the north-western province of Zamora. Just hours before the accident, Jota had posted a video of his June 22 wedding to partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children. The deaths sparked an outpouring of grief, particularly in the brothers' native Portugal and at Jota's Premier League club Liverpool. A fan shows a sign in tribute to Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, who passed away after a car crash, during the Fifa Club World Cup 2025 quarterfinal football match between Spain's Real Madrid and Germany's Borussia Dortmund at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey July 5, 2025. — AFP pic Political leaders as well as star players from Portugal and Liverpool joined family and friends at the funeral on Saturday in the Porto suburb of Gondomar. Following spells at Atletico Madrid, Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Jota became a fan favourite at Liverpool after joining the Premier League giants in 2020. He netted 65 times for the Reds in five seasons, lifting the League Cup and FA Cup in 2021/22 and helping them win a record-equalling 20th English league title last season. The striker also earned 49 caps for Portugal and was part of the team that won this year's Uefa Nations League. Younger brother Andre played in midfield for FC Penafiel in Portugal's second tier. — AFP
Malay Mail
20 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Police cite speeding as likely cause of fatal crash involving Diogo Jota and brother
MADRID, July 9 — Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota was likely speeding when his car veered off a motorway in Spain last week killing him and his brother, Spanish police said yesterday. The shock deaths of Jota, 28, and Andre Silva, 25, on July 3 plunged the football world into mourning, less than two weeks after the striker had got married. An ongoing investigation is examining 'the marks left by one of the vehicle's wheels... everything points to a possible excessive speed beyond the road's speed limit', the Civil Guard said. 'All the tests conducted so far indicate that the driver of the vehicle was Diogo Jota,' it added. The force had previously said a tyre had probably blown out while the vehicle was overtaking, causing it to crash and burst into flames in the north-western province of Zamora. Just hours before the accident, Jota had posted a video of his June 22 wedding to partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children. The deaths sparked an outpouring of grief, particularly in the brothers' native Portugal and at Jota's Premier League club Liverpool. A fan shows a sign in tribute to Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, who passed away after a car crash, during the Fifa Club World Cup 2025 quarterfinal football match between Spain's Real Madrid and Germany's Borussia Dortmund at the MetLife stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey July 5, 2025. — AFP pic Political leaders as well as star players from Portugal and Liverpool joined family and friends at the funeral on Saturday in the Porto suburb of Gondomar. Following spells at Atletico Madrid, Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers, Jota became a fan favourite at Liverpool after joining the Premier League giants in 2020. He netted 65 times for the Reds in five seasons, lifting the League Cup and FA Cup in 2021/22 and helping them win a record-equalling 20th English league title last season. The striker also earned 49 caps for Portugal and was part of the team that won this year's Uefa Nations League. Younger brother Andre played in midfield for FC Penafiel in Portugal's second tier. — AFP
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Arsenal sign Spain midfielder Zubimendi
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