Cristiano Ronaldo's Reaction to Diogo Jota's Tragic Death
On Thursday morning, the soccer world learned the tragic news that Liverpool FC forward Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, 25, died in a car accident in Spain.
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'Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota,' LFC said in a club statement.
'Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support.'
Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of the Portugal national team for which Jota made 49 international appearances, struggled to make sense of the death of his teammate.
Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota (right)Yukihito Taguchi, Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
Ronaldo, 40, wrote the following message to his 659 million followers on Instagram, translated by the platform from Portuguese to English.
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"Doesn't make any sense," Ronaldo wrote. "Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you were married. To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. R.I.P. Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.'
Jota recently tied the knot with Rute Cardoso in his home city of Porto. The couple have three children. Silva was a professional player for Portuguese club Penafiel.
Jota was part of the Portugal squad for UEFA Euro 2020 and 2024. His first international appearance came as a substitute for Ronaldo on Nov. 14, 2019.
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The last match he played in was the 2025 UEFA Nations League final, Portugal's penalty shootout victory over Spain on June 8.
Related: LeBron James Sends Emotional Message After Tragic Death of Liverpool Star
Related: Ronaldo's 2026 World Cup Decision Made Clear
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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