RIP Diogo
Liverpool striker Jota died in a car accident alongside his brother Andre Silva in the early hours of Thursday morning.
BBC Sport has reported Jota was advised to travel back to Merseyside by ferry, rather than fly, following minor surgery.
Dr Miguel Goncalves, a specialist in respiratory physiotherapy, worked with Jota on his recovery plan.
Well-wishers view flowers, scarves and shirts at a memorial set up close to Anfield football ground for their Portuguese forward Diogo Jota in Liverpool on July 4. — AFP
'I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8.30pm (on Wednesday),' Dr Goncalves said in quotes reported by Portuguese sports newspaper Record.
'His brother was a great companion and decided to go with him, to accompany him on the trip, and that way they would also spend more time together.
'They were going to travel at night because it was cooler, but they weren't going direct.
Nuno Borges of Portugal, wearing a black ribbon in his hat in memory of compatriot Diogo Jota returns to Karen Khachanov of Russia during their men's singles match on day five of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday July 4, 2025. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)
'He told me that the journey would take about eight hours but that they would stop at a hotel in the Burgos area to rest. Diogo was very aware of his professionalism.
'They were only supposed to arrive in Santander on Friday, catch the boat and then go to England. The family would arrive later by plane, organise their lives over the weekend and then, on Monday, they had a medical appointment scheduled in Liverpool to assess the situation.
A picture of Jota is projected on a screen behind the British rock band Oasis during the first of their sellout comeback shows at the Cardiff Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on July 4. — Reuters
'I started working with him last Saturday and I was with him every day until this Wednesday. I said goodbye to him at dinner time.
'He made an extraordinary recovery, he was undoubtedly an unparalleled professional. He strictly followed what I told him, as you could see in the way he was recovering.
'The base of his right lung had collapsed a little, but with the post-surgery physiotherapy he was practically flawless. When I left him he was no longer in pain and was going to return to Liverpool.
Portugal players and staff display a banner in honour of Jota and his brother Andre Silva after the Women's Euro 2025 Group B match against Spain at the Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, on July 3. — Reuters
'He was excited, confident in his recovery and enthusiastic about the next season.
'He told me that he would not go on the pre-season tour that Liverpool is going to Japan to strengthen his recovery, he believed he was going to have a great season.' — dpa
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Sun
Wimbledon blames ‘human error' for embarrassing line-calling glitch
WIMBLEDON chiefs on Monday blamed human error for an embarrassing failure of the tournament's electronic line-calling system. Officials apologised to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Sonay Kartal after the malfunction during their fourth-round match on Centre Court on Sunday, which Pavlyuchenkova won in straight sets. After an investigation, organisers admitted the technology was turned off in error on a section of the court for a game, with the mistake only becoming apparent when a shot from Britain's Kartal that clearly missed the baseline was not called out. Had the call been correct, it would have given Russia's Pavlyuchenkova a 5-4 lead in the first set, but instead umpire Nico Helwerth ruled the point should be replayed, with Kartal going on to win the game. The Russian accused the official of home bias, saying: 'Because she is local, they can say whatever. You took the game away from me.' Wimbledon issued a statement on Sunday saying the system had been 'deactivated in error' for one game by those operating the system. 'In that time, there were three calls not picked up by live ELC on the affected part of the court. Two of these were called by the chair umpire, who was not made aware that the system had been deactivated,' it said. 'Following the third, the chair umpire stopped the match and consulted with the review official. It was determined that the point should be replayed. 'The chair umpire followed the established process. We have apologised to the players involved.' Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Club, told reporters on Monday that the system was 'working optimally.' 'The issue we had was human error in terms of the tracking system having been inadvertently deactivated, and then the chair (umpire) not being made aware of the fact that it had been deactivated,' she said. She added: 'We've spoken to the players, we've apologised to them, we've very quickly moved into reviewing everything that had happened yesterday afternoon and putting in place the appropriate changes to the processes.' A fully automated system has replaced human line judges at Wimbledon in 2025, in line with the Australian Open and the US Open. But the glitch in Sunday's fourth-round match follows concerns raised by other players about the technology, including British stars Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper. Around 80 former line judges are employed as match assistants, with two on each court offering support to the umpire. But Bolton said there was no need to put them back on the courts. 'The system was functional,' she said. 'It had been deactivated. We didn't need to put line judges back on the court again, we needed the system to be active.' Automated line-calling technology has become standard across tennis, with all events on the men's ATP Tour and many WTA tournaments using it. – AFP
The Star
23 minutes ago
- The Star
Cricket-Mulder hits fifth highest test score but turns down chance to go for record
FILE PHOTO: Cricket - 2025 ICC World Test Championship Final - South Africa v Australia - Lord's Cricket Ground, London, Britain - June 14, 2025 South Africa's Temba Bavuma after the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo (Reuters) -South Africa's stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder scored the fifth highest test score of 367 not out against Zimbabwe on Monday but then declared his side's innings despite being only 34 runs away from the record for the most runs in a test innings. Mulder, leading the side for the first time as a depleted team take on their neighbours in a two-test series at Bulawayo's Queens Sports Club, hit 53 boundaries (49 fours and four sixes) in his knock to see South Africa to 626-5 at lunch on the second day of the second test. With plenty of time still left in thetest, it was expected he would bat into the second session to chase down Brian Lara's 21-year-old record of 400 not out for the West Indies against England in Antigua but Mulder turned down the chance and declared at lunch, to put Zimbabwe into bat. The 27-year-old all-rounder had come in at No. 3 with South Africa on 24-2 after being put into bat on the opening day on Sunday and was 264 not out at the close as he rallied his side to finish the day on 465-4. He had a fortunate break when on 247 he was bowled, only for a no ball to be called as Tanaka Chivanga had overstepped. But the rest of Mulder's impressive innings was chanceless as he brought up his 300 in Monday's morning session, off 297 balls for the second fastest triple century in test cricket. He then passed Hashim Amla's record test score for a South African of 311 not out against England at the Oval in 2012 and got to 350 in 324 balls before going to lunch 367 not out. It put him fifth in the all-time list, ahead of the likes of fellow triple centurions Gary Sobers and Donald Bradman, and behind Lara (400 not out and 375), Australian Matthew Hayden (380) and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene, who hit 374 against South Africa in Colombo in 2006. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by xx)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Soccer-Butler's Bangladeshi battlers secure historic Women's Asian Cup spot
(Reuters) -Few expected Bangladesh to stamp their ticket to the Women's Asian Cup at a qualifying tournament last week after a year in which they had failed to win a game and lost some of their most experienced players. Ranked 128th in the world and 25th in Asia, the Bengal Tigresses headed to Myanmar without all-time top-scorer Sabina Khatun, who led a walk out in protest at English coach Peter Butler in February. Bangladesh defied the odds, however, by winning all three games in Yangon to top their group and secure one of only 12 spots in Australia next year, their first appearance at the continental tournament. "I'm really proud of the players ... these girls have sacrificed a lot," Butler told Reuters on Sunday, before flying to Dhaka where a large crowd gathered late at night to welcome the team home. "They were put through the mill and they have reaped the rewards." Butler, a former West Ham United midfielder who has spent two decades coaching clubs and national teams across Asia and Africa, took over in March last year. "When I came into the national team ... some of the players were picking themselves," the 58-year-old said. "There was no discipline. Unfortunately, if there's no discipline, you're really on the road to nowhere." Butler introduced a new training regimen and tried to bring through some younger talent, leading to the rebellion of a group of established players. They sent a letter to the federation calling for Butler's dismissal and accusing him of favouritism, dividing the team, making inappropriate comments about their personal lives and insulting them. "No coach likes to be accused of things that are totally unfounded and untrue," Butler said. "It was lies, more lies, and it seems like it's never going to end. It can be tedious and tiring. "I didn't have a personal agenda... at the end of the day, what I've done has been for the betterment, the good of Bangladeshi football." The rebellion fizzled out when the players signed new contracts in March, although Khatun, Sanjida Akhter and Masura Parvin have not played for the country since. 'A COMPETITIVE EDGE' Butler ploughed on with his new regimen, placing a big focus on fitness and making big demands on the players. "It had five o'clock wake-up calls, six o'clock starts, 90-minute sessions, high-tempo, high-intensity. Not easy," he said. "I think it was a defining moment of change in Bangladesh football when discipline came into the forefront where previously there was none." In a culture where seniority is highly prized, he also continued with his mission to bring younger talent through to complement the veterans. More than half of the squad he picked for last week's qualifying tournament were under 20 years old, players he said were previously not given an opportunity. "Young players bring a competitive edge... it takes people out of their comfort zones. That's what I've done, I've shaken it up," he said. Bangladesh started their Asian Cup qualifying campaign with a 7-0 win over Bahrain, but the real test for Butler's team arrived when they took on hosts Myanmar in a decisive battle for the group's single qualifying slot. Ritu Porna Chakma, one of the rebel players, scored a brace to secure a 2-1 win over Myanmar, ranked 55th in the world. Bangladesh rounded out their group games with a 7-0 win over Turkmenistan on Saturday. "Our brand of football really surprised a lot of people," Butler said. "You've got to have the belief, and I had the belief in my players." Butler, however, was not sure whether he would continue in his role, with his contract ending soon. "I don't even know if I'll be in charge going into the next tournament. I don't know what my future holds," he said. "Whether I'm there or not there is not important. I've achieved what I set out to achieve... we got there, and it's history. "I'd like to think I've helped change the women's football landscape in Bangladesh." (Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
