Fans worldwide pay tribute to Diogo Jota after his tragic death as Liverpool supporters sing You'll Never Walk Alone outside Anfield and banner is displayed at Portugal's Women's Euros clash with Spain
Jota was a fully-fledged international in the Portugal men's team, playing 49 times for his country, scoring 14 goals, and was a Nations League winner - the victory coming just a matter of weeks ago.
The Liverpool star died on Thursday alongside his brother when his Lamborghini had a tyre blow out while overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora - just ten miles over the border from Portugal.
The car is said to have rolled and burst into flames, with emergency services unable to save the footballing duo. Jota's brother, Andre Silva, 26, played for Portuguese second division side Penafiel.
Jota and Silva were headed to Santander to catch a ferry to Britain after Diogo was advised not to fly following lung surgery, it was reported in his home country.
And Portugal and Spain fans and players alike used the opportunity of their game on Thursday to pay tribute to the star, who leaves behind his new wife, Rute, and their three children.
Tributes took place long before the game at the Stadion Wankforf in Bern, Switzerland, with fans chanting Jota's name and holding up signs outside the ground.
Inside the ground, they continued to sing his name as countless banner and photos were produced paying tribute to the player.
One group of fans were seen holding pieces of paper with the Portuguese's face and name on, while others held a banner. The banner read 'Obrigado por tudo,' which translates to 'thank you for everything', and 'descansa em paz,' meaning 'rest in peace.'
After the game, which Spain won 5-0, the players merged to stand behind the banner themselves on the pitch.
Beforehand, players engaged in an immaculate minute's silence and also wore commemorative black armbands.
Throughout the day, back in Liverpool, fans gathered in their hundreds to lay and pay their own tributes to Jota.
Jota played 182 games for Liverpool and was part of the Premier League title-winning squad from last season under Arne Slot. Slot, alongside the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson, paid their own tributes.
One group of fans gathered to sing Liverpool's traditional 'You'll Never Walk Alone' song, aiming it at the forward, while another striking image showed two men - one in a Liverpool shirt and one an Everton shirt - walking with flowers to lay them down.
Football fans gathered outside Anfield stadium and sang ''You'll Never Walk Alone', the club's anthem, in honour of Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in Spain. https://t.co/IzVCMNf4Cg pic.twitter.com/ZZk8jF0JjF
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 3, 2025
Some fans in the crowd at Switzerland donned signed with Jota's face on and sang his name
Doctors had reportedly advised Jota not to catch a plane after a recent operation, so he was getting a boat back to England instead. A Brittany Ferries service from Santander to Plymouth left at 4pm BST on Thursday, arriving in Devon at 11.15am on Friday.
According to Record, Jota and new wife Rute attended a friend's wedding over the weekend and had been celebrating together.
The lamborghini crash happened on the A-52 in the province of Zamora. The Spanish dual carriageway 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.
Emergency services in the Castilla and Leon region confirmed the crash and two fatalities at around 12.35am on Thursday. Diogo and Andre's deaths were then confirmed by the Portuguese Football Federation at around 8am.
Wreckage at the scene suggested the brothers were driving to the UK in a Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder.
Jota had married childhood sweetheart Rute a matter of days ago, having met her at school when the duo were children.
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South Wales Guardian
34 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
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The father-of-three, who married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso 11 days before the accident, died alongside his brother, Andre Silva, after a Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning. The coffins of Jota and Silva were carried into Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in the town of Gondomar near Porto on Saturday morning, followed by mourners. A church bell tolled and crowds applauded as the brothers' coffins were carried into the church, followed by mourners, some with their arms around each other. Others seen arriving at the church included Reds manager Arne Slot, captain Virgil Van Dijk and team-mates including Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez. Also at the funeral for the Portuguese international were his national team-mates Bruno Fernandes, of Manchester United; Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, of Manchester City; Joao Felix and Renato Veiga, of Chelsea; Nelson Semedo, from Wolves; Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Ruben Neves, as well as former Liverpool player Fabinho, Porto FC president Andre Villas-Boas and Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez. Neves served as one of the pallbearers for Jota after flying in from Florida where he played for Al Hilal in the Club World Cup quarter-final on Friday night. Some of the players carried wreaths shaped like football shirts as they arrived at the church. Martinez told AP: 'These are really, really sad days, as you can imagine, but today we showed we are a large, close family. 'Their spirit will be with us forever.' After the funeral service, the coffins were carried to the cemetery next to the church. Family and friends gathered for the brothers' wake on Friday, with a queue forming outside the Portuguese chapel. The brothers' parents attended the Sao Cosme Chapel, the Capela da Ressurreicao, in Gondomar, with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and Jota's agent also there. People held service sheets featuring pictures of both brothers, the largest one showing Jota smiling in his Liverpool FC shirt and making a heart sign with his hands. Liverpool FC postponed the return of their players for pre-season following Jota's death and players past and present paid tribute to him and his brother on social media. A sea of floral tributes had been left outside Anfield, with many Liverpool fans and supporters of other clubs looking to pay their respects. Flags have been lowered to half-mast at the stadium and all club stores, museums and tours have been closed until Monday, with staff offered wellbeing support. Jota and Silva were found dead after the car crashed on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora at 12.40am on Thursday. Police said they were investigating the possibility that the Lamborghini left the road because of a tyre blowout while overtaking, and a source from the government sub-delegation in Zamora confirmed 'a possible speeding incident' was being looked at. Pictures of the aftermath of the crash showed debris scattered along the side of the road including what appeared to be charred parts of the vehicle. No other vehicles are said to have been involved in the incident.
Rhyl Journal
37 minutes ago
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Diogo Jota's wife and family joined by Liverpool players at funeral
The father-of-three, who married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso 11 days before the accident, died alongside his brother, Andre Silva, after a Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning. The coffins of Jota and Silva were carried into Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church in the town of Gondomar near Porto on Saturday morning, followed by mourners. A church bell tolled and crowds applauded as the brothers' coffins were carried into the church, followed by mourners, some with their arms around each other. Others seen arriving at the church included Reds manager Arne Slot, captain Virgil Van Dijk and team-mates including Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Joe Gomez. Also at the funeral for the Portuguese international were his national team-mates Bruno Fernandes, of Manchester United; Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, of Manchester City; Joao Felix and Renato Veiga, of Chelsea; Nelson Semedo, from Wolves; Joao Moutinho, Rui Patricio and Ruben Neves, as well as former Liverpool player Fabinho, Porto FC president Andre Villas-Boas and Portugal national team manager Roberto Martinez. Neves served as one of the pallbearers for Jota after flying in from Florida where he played for Al Hilal in the Club World Cup quarter-final on Friday night. Some of the players carried wreaths shaped like football shirts as they arrived at the church. Martinez told AP: 'These are really, really sad days, as you can imagine, but today we showed we are a large, close family. 'Their spirit will be with us forever.' After the funeral service, the coffins were carried to the cemetery next to the church. Family and friends gathered for the brothers' wake on Friday, with a queue forming outside the Portuguese chapel. The brothers' parents attended the Sao Cosme Chapel, the Capela da Ressurreicao, in Gondomar, with Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and Jota's agent also there. People held service sheets featuring pictures of both brothers, the largest one showing Jota smiling in his Liverpool FC shirt and making a heart sign with his hands. Liverpool FC postponed the return of their players for pre-season following Jota's death and players past and present paid tribute to him and his brother on social media. A sea of floral tributes had been left outside Anfield, with many Liverpool fans and supporters of other clubs looking to pay their respects. Flags have been lowered to half-mast at the stadium and all club stores, museums and tours have been closed until Monday, with staff offered wellbeing support. Jota and Silva were found dead after the car crashed on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora at 12.40am on Thursday. Police said they were investigating the possibility that the Lamborghini left the road because of a tyre blowout while overtaking, and a source from the government sub-delegation in Zamora confirmed 'a possible speeding incident' was being looked at. Pictures of the aftermath of the crash showed debris scattered along the side of the road including what appeared to be charred parts of the vehicle. No other vehicles are said to have been involved in the incident.
Glasgow Times
42 minutes ago
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Liverpool players and boss arrive in Portugal to attend Diogo Jota's funeral
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