Liverpool forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain
03 Jul 2025 05:08pm
The Civil Guard said a vehicle veered off a motorway in the municipality of Cernadilla in the northwestern province of Zamora, confirming the deaths of Jota and his brother Andre Felipe. - Photo source: diogoj_18/Instagram
MADRID - Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota and his brother died in a car crash in northwestern Spain on Thursday, police said, weeks after the star got married.
The Civil Guard said a vehicle veered off a motorway and burst into flames shortly after midnight in the municipality of Cernadilla in the province of Zamora, confirming the deaths of Jota, 28, and his brother Andre.
"Everything points to the blowout of a tyre while it (the vehicle) was overtaking," the Civil Guard said in a statement.
Portuguese football federation president Pedro Proenca wrote on social media that he was "devastated", calling Jota "an extraordinary person, respected by all his colleagues and opponents, someone blessed with an infectious joy and a reference for his own community".
Proenca said they had asked UEFA for a minute's silence before Portugal's Women's Euro 2025 match against Spain in Switzerland on Thursday.
"We have lost two champions. The death of Diogo and Andre Silva are irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything possible to honour their legacy every day," Proenca added.
Jota had married his partner Rute Cardoso on June 22, posting a video of their wedding on Instagram just hours before the accident.
They had three children.
The former Atletico Madrid, Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers star scored nine goals in all competitions last season as Liverpool cruised to their 20th Premier League title. - AFP
More Like This
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Singer Ju Hak-nyeon cleared of charges over alleged prostitution activities
Ju Hak-nyeon had denied paying for sex with former Japanese adult actress Kirara Asuka. Photo: Ju Hak-nyeon/Instagram South Korean singer Ju Hak-nyeon, formerly of K-pop boy band The Boyz, will not face charges after he was accused of being involved in prostitution activities. The 26-year-old was in June when the South Korean media reported that his then agency, One Hundred Label, had received an enquiry from Japanese tabloid Shukan Bunshun about his personal meeting with Kirara Asuka, a Japanese adult film actress-turned-influencer, in Tokyo in late May. A South Korean media outlet claimed that he had allegedly paid for sex with the 36-year-old woman. The Gangnam Police Station in Seoul then received a complaint on June 19 from a netizen requesting an investigation into Ju. On July 2, South Korean media outlet Sports Kyunghyang reported that the police had decided on June 25 not to prosecute Ju, as the complaint was based on an Internet article and that there were insufficient specific reasons or circumstances to initiate an investigation. Ju had admitted on June 19 in a letter of apology on Instagram Stories to meeting Asuka, but denied rumours of being involved in prostitution activities. The apology came after he was booted from The Boyz on June 18. He wrote another post on Instagram on June 20, threatening to take legal action against media outlets which continued to spread false information about him. He also said that he was removed from The Boyz with no valid reasons and that his contract termination was done unilaterally by One Hundred Label. The company defended its decision on the same day, saying that he was suspended as the controversy had affected The Boyz's activities and that it provided grounds for contract termination. One Hundred Label warned that it would take legal action against Ju if he continued to repeat the distorted claims. Asuka broke her silence on social media platform X on June 21, saying that she had never accepted money for private sexual services, including during the encounter with Ju. The singer then took to social media on June 22, denying the prostitution allegation again and detailing the sequence of events leading to his sacking from The Boyz. South Korean newspaper The Korea Herald said that a court ruling is expected to determine whether the contract termination is lawful. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Neto grieves Jota's death as Chelsea face Palmeiras in Club World Cup
CHELSEA manager Enzo Maresca confirmed on Thursday that forward Pedro Neto will decide whether to play in Friday's Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras, as the Portuguese international mourns the tragic death of his close friend and team mate Diogo Jota. Jota, a Liverpool forward, and his brother were killed in a car accident in northwestern Spain on Thursday morning when their Lamborghini veered off the road and caught fire. Neto, deeply affected by the loss, was excused from training but chose to remain with the squad in Philadelphia. 'It's a difficult moment. You feel helpless,' Maresca said in a press conference. 'Pedro is more than sad, and we are all here to support him. Any decision he makes—whether to play or not—is the right one, and we will back him fully.' Neto's potential absence adds a layer of uncertainty for Chelsea, who are preparing to face a Palmeiras side featuring 18-year-old winger Estevao, a player set to join the Blues after the tournament. Estevao was signed last year for an initial 34 million euros, with add-ons potentially bringing the deal to 67 million, according to British media. The teenager admitted that the move has been an emotional distraction. 'It's been hard balancing the emotions of playing my final games for Palmeiras while also thinking about my future at Chelsea,' Estevao said earlier this week. However, Maresca dismissed suggestions that Estevao's impending transfer could influence Chelsea's preparations. 'When we prepare for games, we prepare for the team, not for one player,' Maresca said. 'Estevao is a Palmeiras player right now. I've never spoken to him, though I've met his family. Now is not the time to discuss the future.' The Chelsea manager also praised Brazilian football, emphasising his respect for the South American giants. 'I've always respected Brazilian football; I didn't need this competition to understand how good they are,' he said. 'Palmeiras have shown their quality and will continue to do so.' Chelsea face a significant challenge in Palmeiras, who advanced to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 extra-time win over Botafogo. With Neto's participation uncertain and Estevao looking to leave his mark before departing for London, the quarter-final promises to be a gripping encounter.
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Microsoft signs deal to power Premier League's AI tools
A five-year 'strategic partnership' will see the UK football league, the world's most watched, migrate its 'core technology infrastructure' to Microsoft's Azure cloud-computing service, the company and league said in a statement. — AP Microsoft Corp has signed a cloud computing deal with the Premier League, a pact that will let the software company tout its AI technology to a captive audience of sports fans. A five-year "strategic partnership' will see the UK football league, the world's most watched, migrate its "core technology infrastructure' to Microsoft's Azure cloud-computing service, the company and league said in a statement on July 1. The Premier League's mobile apps and website will feature an artificially intelligent chatbot powered by Microsoft's AI services, as will the league's fantasy games. "This is the future of football,' Microsoft UK chief Darren Hardman said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. "It's data-driven drama, it's smarter stats, it's deeper stories, it's a better connection of the fan to what's going on.' He and Will Brass, the Premier League's chief commercial officer, declined to discuss the financial terms of the deal. Oracle Corp previously provided cloud-computing services to the league, but the arrangement expired at the end of the season earlier this year. Technology and sports marketing tie-ins are a crowded field, particularly in global football. Microsoft's Copilot brand is the sponsor for Beyond Stats, a service that provides game and team analysis for fans of Spain's top football division, La Liga. The stats that pop up during Germany's Bundesliga are festooned with the Amazon Web Services logo. Such deals are prized by technology companies because sports is the rare entertainment that people still watch live. In the 12 years since Microsoft struck a deal with the National Football League to place its tablets in the hands of team coaches, the tech industry has looked for creative ways to go beyond plastering their brand names on league signage. – Bloomberg
