Diogo Jota funeral details as Liverpool star laid to rest after tragic death
The funerals of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva will take place at 10am on Saturday morning in Gondomar, a half-hour drive inland from the northern Portuguese city of Porto.
On Friday afternoon the Liverpool forward's wife Rute and family members attended a private wake at Sao Cosme Chapel with priest Jose Manuel Macedo set to oversee the funeral at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar catholic church. It is unclear how private the service will be but Portugal's president Marcelo de Sousa has confirmed he will be among those in attendance.
Father-of-three Diogo was killed in the early hours of Thursday morning along with his footballer brother Andre Silva when the Lamborghini Huracan they were travelling in burst into flames after a suspected tyre blowout on the A-52 highway near Zamora in north-west Spain.
They were heading to the northern port city of Santander to catch a ferry to the UK after the Liverpool player and Portugal international was advised not to travel by plane following lung surgery.
Jota began his footballing career at a club in Gondomar and is also thought to have met his wife there during their time as teenagers.
READ MORE: Premier League star left 'speechless' after Diogo Jota attended his wedding five days ago
Tributes have poured in since Thursday morning as former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, club legend Sir Kenny Dalglish and Reds boss Arne Slot all issued statements following the brothers' tragic death..
Team-mate Alexis Mac Allister wrote on Instagram: "I can't believe it. I will always remember your smiles, your anger, your intelligence, your companionship and everything that made you a person. It hurts a lot, we will miss you. Rest in peace dear Diogo."
Dominik Szoboszlai added: "Words cannot describe how heartbroken and devastated we are... Your smile, your love for the game will never be forgotten. We will miss you so much, but you will stay with us forever, on and off the pitch. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family. Rest in peace, brother."
Andy Robertson also paid a lengthy and powerful tribute. "The ones I'm thinking about most right now are the family. Their loss is too much to bear. I'm so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls - Diogo and Andre," Robertson began.
"For the team and the club, we'll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now.
"It's the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I've ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I'd try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.
"We'd watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight - one of the best we had. The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family. "I can't believe we're saying goodbye. It's too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate - and for making it better. Love you, Diogo."
Fans also descended on Anfield to pay their tributes to Jota with former Reds midfielder Jordan Henderson pictured at the stadium on Friday afternoon. Liverpool have opened both physical and digital books of condolence and encouraged supporters to pen their messages.
Liverpool stores, museums and tours have been closed until Monday, while flags at Anfield have been lowered to half-mast. Club staff have been offered wellbeing support.
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