Liverpool stars to attend funeral for team-mate Diogo Jota and his brother
The father of three, who had recently married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, was killed alongside his brother Andre Silva after their car burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday.
The funeral, which begins at 10am, follows a wake held at the Capela da Ressurreicao yesterday.
The brothers' parents attended the Sao Cosme Chapel, with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and Jota's agent also in attendance.
Also present were Liverpool executives and backroom staff, including CEO Billy Hogan, technical director Julian Ward - a former Larne player - and sporting director Richard Hughes.
Queues formed outside the church as people held service sheets featuring pictures of both brothers, the largest one showing Jota smiling in his Liverpool shirt and making a heart sign with his hands.
Liverpool has postponed the players' return for pre-season training following Jota's death.
Manager Arne Slot said the 'sense of shock is absolute', adding: 'He was a loved one to all of us.'
On Friday former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson looked visibly upset as he returned to Anfield with flowers and a club scarf. A sea of floral tributes has been left outside the ground.
The club's Northern Ireland player Conor Bradley said Jota was "an incredible footballer but an even better person'.
'When I first moved up from the academy you were always there for me and always helped me settle in with the lads which I'll be forever grateful for,' he said.
'My thoughts are with your wife, children and family for losing both Diogo and Andre. I can't imagine how tough this is for you all, as I know how tough this feels for me today.
'Love you Jots, and I'm sure we will meet again.'
In Belfast, Liverpool supporters gathered to lay flowers outside the club's city centre merchandise store.
The store was closed on Friday as a mark of respect, with cards and flowers laid in his honour.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Sporting Lisbon take action after Arsenal target Viktor Gyokeres 'strike' threat
Viktor Gyokeres is a transfer target for Arsenal this summer and his future could soon be resolved after reports the Gunners made a breakthrough with Sporting CP amid the prospect of a strike Sporting CP have taken the drastic move to DELAY Viktor Gyokeres' return to pre-season training after the striker's supposed threat to go on strike. The Arsenal target has been embroiled in an explosive spat with Sporting president Frederico Varandas over the fee he is able to depart for as he seeks a move. Mirror Football understands Gyokeres, whose team-mates return to training on Monday, has been handed a four-day extension until Friday, as Sporting chiefs attempt to diffuse the conflict. The new deadline is the day before Sporting travel to the Algarve for a training camp. While a contingent of Sporting's first-team stars will be conducting physical testing, the club will be left sweating over Gyokeres' future prospects. And Arsenal may sense an opportunity to achieve a breakthrough to land a new striker. Gyokeres and his agent Hasan Cetinkaya made the strike threat after they believed the club reneged on an agreement to make the Sweden international available for £60million. Sporting president Frederico Varandas rejected the details of Cetinkaya's claim, with Gyokeres' anger said to stem from his belief that the Portuguese giants are demanding £67m - a figure still below his release clause, which will not be required to be met this summer. Varandas has remained adamant Gyokeres will only be sold for a fair value and suggested: "Threats, blackmail and insults don't work with me." Though his star striker's delayed return indicates the situation is far from simple. While blasting Gyokeres' agent in a stunning statement last month, Varandas said there was yet to even be an offer on the table for the 50-goal striker. But there was an admission that a deal below his release clause would be facilitated in a bid to allow Gyokeres to chase Champions League football. Since then, Gyokeres is said to have rebuffed two monster offers from the Saudi Pro League. Al-Hilal and Al-Qadisiyah are noted to have made offers to the player worth £11m-a-year. Gyokeres has snubbed all proposals with a move to the Premier League and Arsenal his preference. And now he must wait to see if the Gunners can strike a deal. The north London side have long target a striker with Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko deemed to be club targets this summer to help Mikel Arteta's team go one better in the Premier League. Andrea Berta has been working on deals for both players and while Sesko was understood to be the club's top target, reports have claimed a breakthrough in talks over Gyokeres. Arsenal and Sporting are said to now be in 'advanced talks' over a deal for the ex-Coventry forward. Gyokeres is believed to have already agreed a five-year deal with the Gunners to make the move to the Emirates. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘He lit up a room': Trent Alexander-Arnold pays tribute to Diogo Jota
Trent Alexander-Arnold has described his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota as 'someone who lit up a room'. Liverpool forward Jota died along with his brother, Andre Silvé, after a car accident in Spain on Thursday. Alexander-Arnold is at the Club World Cup in the United States with Real Madrid having left Anfield at the end of their title-winning 2024-25 season. He spoke to Dazn after Madrid's quarter-final victory over Borussia Dortmund in New York. 'Some things are bigger than the game,' the right-back said. 'It has been difficult but it's been very emotional, very heartwarming to see the footballing world uniting and come together to show their love and support to him and his family, and obviously his brother as well. 'So although it's been difficult, it's also been a nice showing out from everyone, all clubs, all people, uniting and showing love and support for what must be a mind-blowingly hard time for the family. 'I've been … around him and his brother, his family, his amazing wife, his parents, his amazing three children. It's truly, truly heartbreaking to wake up to news like that. It's something that you would never, ever expect. 'He was a very close friend, someone who lit up a room when he was in it. I shared the dressing room [with him] for five years [and have] amazing memories on and off the pitch with him. It goes without saying he will never be forgotten by anyone. He will live long in all our memories for the amazing man and player he was.'
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: The 'personal reason' behind why Cristiano Ronaldo didn't attend Diogo Jota's funeral
A key 'personal reason' behind Cristiano Ronaldo 's absence from Diogo Jota can explain why he was not at his funeral on Saturday. Jota, 28, was laid to rest at Gondomar cemetery in Portugal on Saturday afternoon after he and his brother, Andre Silva, 25, were killed when their Lamborghini crashed in the early hours of Thursday morning in northern Spain. The accident came just 11 days after Jota had married childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, also 28, who is the mother of his two sons Dinis, four, and Duarte, two as well as his baby daughter Mafalda, who is just eight months old. On Saturday, mourners exclusively told MailOnline that they were shocked by Ronaldo's absence given his role as the captain of the Portuguese national team. Ronaldo, 40, skippered his side to Nations League glory in a team that Jota was also part of as Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties to win the tournament on June 8. But his decision not to attend Jota's funeral can be explained by previous tragedies in Ronaldo's personal life. According to Portuguese outlet Record, Ronaldo may have opted not to attend the event due to sensitivities surrounding the death of his father, Jose Diniz Aveiro, who died in September 2005 - when Ronaldo was just 20 years old. Ronaldo was shocked to hear of Jota's passing but is said to have not made the journey as he did not wish for his presence to overshadow the importance of people paying their respects to Jota and his brother. While the Al-Nassr forward has come in for criticism from some quarters over his absence - he was publicly defended by his sister Katia on social media. Taking to Instagram, she wrote: 'When my father died, in addition to the pain of loss, we had to deal with a flood of cameras and curious onlookers at the cemetery and everywhere we went. 'And attention was not what it is today in terms of no time were we (the children) able to leave the chapel; it was only possible at the time of the burial, such was the commotion. 'At the funeral, there were presidents, coaches of the national team at the time, such as Luís Filipe Scolari, etc. I don't remember seeing any of them. And they certainly greeted me. The pain blinded me. 'About pain/family and real support... You will never know what it means until you go through it. If someone sends me a message criticising anything my brother does, I will block it (completely ignore it), that is, they will only do it once. 'It's getting tiring. The fanaticism. The criticism for nothing, I repeat nothing... Sick society... We all have families. 'It is absurdly shameful to watch TV channels/commentators/social networks emphasising an absence (wise) rather than respectfully honouring the pain of a mutilated family destroyed by the loss of two brothers. I am even ashamed to watch. Regrettable. 'And so the world goes... Society and opinion. Today they are worthless. They themselves have become bottomless pits. I feel sorry... And war is also like that. Believe me. Human evil is also a war. And every day we have to fight against it. And so it goes.' Support from his sister comes after Ronaldo shared an emotional tribute of his own to Jota on social media following his passing. He wrote: 'It doesn't make sense. We were just together in the national team, and you had just gotten married. To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world.
