‘Heartbroken': Tributes pour in for Liverpool's Diogo Jota and brother after fatal crash
Spanish authorities say the Liverpool forward was driving a Lamborghini that veered off the road and burst into flames near the city of Zamora around 12:30 a.m., local time. Police believe a burst tire while overtaking may have caused the crash.
Jota's brother, André Silva, a player for Portuguese second-division club Penafiel, also died at the scene.
Liverpool Football Club said it was 'devastated' by the news, as fans began laying flowers outside Anfield in memory of the 28-year-old, who scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Jota's death 'shocking' and said even non-fans would be moved by the tragedy.
'There are millions of Liverpool fans, but also football fans, non-fans, who will also be shocked by this," Starmer said at a health policy event on Thursday.
Cristiano Ronaldo also paid tribute to his former Portugal teammate, writing on X: 'It doesn't make sense. We were only just in the national team together, you'd only just got married.'
Clubs, former teammates, and supporters have continued to flood social media with messages of heartbreak and remembrance, honouring a player widely admired for his talent, humility, and spirit.
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Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Lions Tour LIVE updates: Waratahs go head-to-head with Lions in Sydney
Latest posts Latest posts 7.30pm Kiwis sneak home against France 'B' team Iain Payten Interesting result across the ditch, with the All Blacks only just getting home 31-27 against a severely depleted French side. Controversially, France sent a squad with 17 uncapped players due to the powerful clubs refusing to release a host of stars. Kiwi commentators have been irate, but the France reggies almost pulled off a massive upset in Dunedin. The game on a knife edge for the last quarter, with New Zealand leading 28-27. But All Blacks star Beauden Barrett slotted a late penalty to seal a too-close-for-comfort victory. 7.30pm Late change for Lions - Pollock out By Iain Payten Here are the teams for the Tahs and Lions. As you can see, the Lions look exceptionally strong, with a couple of familiar names in the starting team: Mack Hansen, Finlay Bealham and Sione Tuipulotu were all raised in Australia before finding their way to Ireland and Scotland to play Test rugby. There has been a late change for the Lions: young backrower Henry Pollock has been withdrawn with a tight calf, meaning skipper Tadgh Beirne moves from lock to no.6, and Scott Cummings comes into the second row. Blair Kinghorn and Hugo Keenan are both playing their first matches on tour, as well, and are both sharp with the ball in hand. As with other Aussie sides, the Waratahs are down on Wallaby troops but there are a couple of key men in key spots. Taniela Tupou is starting at tighthead and you'd have to think his Test chances ride heavily on a strong showing here. Andrew Kellaway has also come back from the Wallabies and will be a key man to bring calm and composure. So too will backrower Rob Leota, and new Tahs recruit Matt Philip, who'll bring presence from the bench. Interestingly, Wallabies squad member Tane Edmed is not starting at no.10, however. Jack Bowen will start and Edmed - who is heading to the Brumbies next year - will come from the pine. WARATAHS (15-1): Lawson Creighton; Andrew Kellaway, Lalakai Foketi, Joey Walton, Darby Lancaster; Jack Bowen, Teddy Wilson; Hugh Sinclair (capt), Charlie Gamble, Rob Leota; Miles Amatosero, Fergus Lee-Warner; Taniela Tupou, Ethan Dobbins, Tom Lambert Replacements: Mahe Vailanu, Jack Barrett, Daniel Botha, Matt Philip, Jamie Adamson, Jack Grant, Tane Edmed, Henry O'Donnell LIONS (15-1): Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Blair Kinghorn, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell, Ben Earl, Josh van der Flier, Tadhg Beirne (c), James Ryan, Scott Cummings, Finlay Bealham, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Pierre Schoeman Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Ellis Genge, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Duhan van der Merwe, Jac Morgan, Ben White, Marcus Smith Referee: Paul Williams (NZR) Assistant Referees: James Doleman (NZR), Angus Mabey (NZR) TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR) FPRO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU) 7.29pm Welcome to the jungle By Iain Payten Good evening fans and welcome to a massive night of rugby. The British and Irish Lions tour of Australia has arrived at its third stop - Sydney - and a clash with the Waratahs. My name is Iain Payten and I will be your blogging buddy, and the expert comments and match report will come from our reverse-Lion - the Herald's own project player from norn Iron, Jonathan Drennan. This NSW-Lions game has been, historically, very spicy. Who can forget the infamous 2001 fixture when Duncan McRae was red-carded for punching the tripe out of Lions five-eighth Ronan O'Gara? Yes, we went straight there. O'Gara has kept a low profile on this tour but here's a yarn with him ahead of the 2013 tour. The 2001 game was a generally ill-tempered affair, and though they ended up losing 41-24, the then-Waratahs captain Phil Waugh proudly mentioned in a post-match function that they'd taken lumps out of the Lions. Waugh is, of course, now chief executive of Rugby Australia. It's unclear if he put his hand up to play tonight but there's about a 50% chance he did. NSW have not beaten the Lions since the 12-year cycle began in 1989, but in 20 clashes overall since 1888, NSW have four wins: 1908, 1930, 1950 and 1959. The Waratahs tonight are not favoured to bring a fifth win. That much is clear from the bookies, who have them at $ do we reckon is going to happen? Have your say in the poll.
The Age
4 hours ago
- The Age
Lions Tour LIVE updates: Waratahs go head-to-head with Lions in Sydney
Latest posts Latest posts 7.30pm Kiwis sneak home against France 'B' team Iain Payten Interesting result across the ditch, with the All Blacks only just getting home 31-27 against a severely depleted French side. Controversially, France sent a squad with 17 uncapped players due to the powerful clubs refusing to release a host of stars. Kiwi commentators have been irate, but the France reggies almost pulled off a massive upset in Dunedin. The game on a knife edge for the last quarter, with New Zealand leading 28-27. But All Blacks star Beauden Barrett slotted a late penalty to seal a too-close-for-comfort victory. 7.30pm Late change for Lions - Pollock out By Iain Payten Here are the teams for the Tahs and Lions. As you can see, the Lions look exceptionally strong, with a couple of familiar names in the starting team: Mack Hansen, Finlay Bealham and Sione Tuipulotu were all raised in Australia before finding their way to Ireland and Scotland to play Test rugby. There has been a late change for the Lions: young backrower Henry Pollock has been withdrawn with a tight calf, meaning skipper Tadgh Beirne moves from lock to no.6, and Scott Cummings comes into the second row. Blair Kinghorn and Hugo Keenan are both playing their first matches on tour, as well, and are both sharp with the ball in hand. As with other Aussie sides, the Waratahs are down on Wallaby troops but there are a couple of key men in key spots. Taniela Tupou is starting at tighthead and you'd have to think his Test chances ride heavily on a strong showing here. Andrew Kellaway has also come back from the Wallabies and will be a key man to bring calm and composure. So too will backrower Rob Leota, and new Tahs recruit Matt Philip, who'll bring presence from the bench. Interestingly, Wallabies squad member Tane Edmed is not starting at no.10, however. Jack Bowen will start and Edmed - who is heading to the Brumbies next year - will come from the pine. WARATAHS (15-1): Lawson Creighton; Andrew Kellaway, Lalakai Foketi, Joey Walton, Darby Lancaster; Jack Bowen, Teddy Wilson; Hugh Sinclair (capt), Charlie Gamble, Rob Leota; Miles Amatosero, Fergus Lee-Warner; Taniela Tupou, Ethan Dobbins, Tom Lambert Replacements: Mahe Vailanu, Jack Barrett, Daniel Botha, Matt Philip, Jamie Adamson, Jack Grant, Tane Edmed, Henry O'Donnell LIONS (15-1): Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Blair Kinghorn, Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell, Ben Earl, Josh van der Flier, Tadhg Beirne (c), James Ryan, Scott Cummings, Finlay Bealham, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Pierre Schoeman Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Ellis Genge, Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Duhan van der Merwe, Jac Morgan, Ben White, Marcus Smith Referee: Paul Williams (NZR) Assistant Referees: James Doleman (NZR), Angus Mabey (NZR) TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR) FPRO: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU) 7.29pm Welcome to the jungle By Iain Payten Good evening fans and welcome to a massive night of rugby. The British and Irish Lions tour of Australia has arrived at its third stop - Sydney - and a clash with the Waratahs. My name is Iain Payten and I will be your blogging buddy, and the expert comments and match report will come from our reverse-Lion - the Herald's own project player from norn Iron, Jonathan Drennan. This NSW-Lions game has been, historically, very spicy. Who can forget the infamous 2001 fixture when Duncan McRae was red-carded for punching the tripe out of Lions five-eighth Ronan O'Gara? Yes, we went straight there. O'Gara has kept a low profile on this tour but here's a yarn with him ahead of the 2013 tour. The 2001 game was a generally ill-tempered affair, and though they ended up losing 41-24, the then-Waratahs captain Phil Waugh proudly mentioned in a post-match function that they'd taken lumps out of the Lions. Waugh is, of course, now chief executive of Rugby Australia. It's unclear if he put his hand up to play tonight but there's about a 50% chance he did. NSW have not beaten the Lions since the 12-year cycle began in 1989, but in 20 clashes overall since 1888, NSW have four wins: 1908, 1930, 1950 and 1959. The Waratahs tonight are not favoured to bring a fifth win. That much is clear from the bookies, who have them at $ do we reckon is going to happen? Have your say in the poll.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Mo Salah's devastating reaction to Liverpool star Diogo Jota's death
Liverpool superstar Mohamed Salah has penned a devastating tribute to former Reds teammate Diogo Jota. A number of Liverpool players are expected to be in attendance when the funeral of Jota and his brother Andre Silva takes place in Gondomar, Portugal on Saturday (AEST) following their shock death in a car accident. Ever since Jota joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton in 2020, he struck an immediate rapport with fellow goalscorer Salah. The duo regularly provided assists for one another, with one of Jota's final goals for the club coming from an assistant from the Egyptian great in a 5-0 Premier League rout of West Ham last December (see below). It's understood Salah cut short his offseason holiday in his home country after hearing the crushing news and he took to Instagram to express his feelings towards his former teammate. The reigning Premier League player of the year used the heartbreaking word 'frighten' to describe his thoughts of returning to an Anfield club that will no longer feature his fellow winger. 'I am truly lost for words,' Salah wrote in a post to his 65 million followers. 'Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break. 'Teammates come and go but not like this. It's going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won't be there when we go back. 'My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children. 'Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. 'They will never be forgotten.' The post has received a staggering 3.4 million likes and almost 32,000 comments. Jota was travelling back to England via ferry just days after marrying his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardosa, the mother of his three children. The Kop idol died instantly when his hired acid green $430,000 Lamborghini supercar suffered a suspected tyre blowout and crashed in a fireball on the A52 highway in Zamora province, northern Spain. The brothers were killed when they were en route to the Spanish port city of Santander to catch a ferry to the UK after the Portugal star was urged not to fly following lung surgery. On Friday, thousands of tributes poured in from across the football community, with Jota's former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp leading the way. The German said: 'This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose! But I can't see it! 'I'm heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre. 'Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! We will miss you so much! 'All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them! Rest in peace – Love J.' There have also been tributes at a wide range of ongoing sporting events, including Wimbledon and the Club World Cup. Jota's grieving wife was consoled by relatives amid emotional scenes at his funeral chapel. Cardoso – who married the Liverpool ace just 11 days earlier – arrived at Sao Cosme Chapel in his home town of Gondomar near Porto, northern Portugal, early on Friday morning (AEST). Portugal's president Marcelo de Sousa was among those arriving to pay respects at a wake for the brothers. A funeral ceremony will then take place next door at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar at 10am Saturday (7pm AEST). It was unclear whether the funeral proceedings would be open to the public. Current Liverpool boss Arne Slot, various Liverpool players and club greats including Steven Gerrard have also paid tribute to Jota's memory.
