Football world mourns Diogo Jota and brother André Silva at funeral in Portugal
The service was held at Igreja Matriz church in Gondomar, near Porto, where Jota had a family home.
The 28-year-old Liverpool forward and his 25-year-old brother were killed early Thursday when their Lamborghini veered off a quiet highway near Zamora in northwestern Spain and burst into flames.
Spanish authorities suspect a blown tire caused the accident.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk arrived at the church carrying a floral tribute shaped like a red football jersey with Jota's No. 20.
Teammate Andrew Robertson followed with a similar arrangement marked with the No. 30, worn by André Silva during his time at Portuguese club Penafiel.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot also joined the club delegation.
Portugal international Rúben Neves, who had played the night before for Al Hilal in the Club World Cup in Orlando, served as a pallbearer for Jota. He was joined by João Cancelo, also from Al Hilal, who was visibly emotional during the minute of silence observed before Friday's quarterfinal match. Both players were among several who flew back to Portugal immediately after the game.
Church bells rang at 10:00 a.m. as mourners gathered. The caskets were carried into the church by pallbearers, followed by family members and hundreds of friends, including players from Gondomar FC, where Jota began his football journey at age 9.
Portugal's national team coach Roberto Martínez, Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias, and Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes were also in attendance.
'These are really, really sad days,' said Martínez. 'But today we showed we are a large, close family. Their spirit will be with us forever.'
Porto's Bishop Manuel Linda led the funeral mass, which filled the church to capacity, with dozens of mourners following the service via loudspeaker outside. After the mass, the coffins were carried to the nearby cemetery for burial.
Jota's death comes only two weeks after he married longtime partner Rute Cardoso during his summer break.
The couple had three children together, the youngest born last year.
The brothers had been traveling to northern Spain to catch a boat bound for England so Jota could rejoin Liverpool following the offseason.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of grief from the global football community, with tributes pouring in from clubs, players, fans, and Portuguese officials.
The Portuguese forward had just completed a successful season, helping Liverpool win the Premier League title. — Agencies
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
37 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Liverpool and Portugal Players Join Family in Mourning Diogo Jota and His Brother at Funeral
Players from Liverpool and Portugal's national team joined family and friends for the funeral of their teammate Diogo Jota and his brother on Saturday, two days after the siblings died in a car crash in Spain. Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk arrived carrying a red floral arrangement in the shape of a soccer shirt with Jota's No. 20 in white. Liverpool teammate Andrew Robertson carried a similar arrangement with the No. 30, the number worn by Jota's brother, André Silva, who played for Portuguese club Penafiel. Coach Arne Slot was part of the Liverpool contingent. Portugal international Rúben Neves served as a pallbearer for Jota a day after playing for at the Club World Cup in the United States. He and Jota were teammates at Wolverhampton earlier in their careers. Neves and João Cancelo attended the funeral after playing in Orlando on Friday, when their Al Hilal was eliminated by Fluminense. Both players had wept when a minute of silence was held before the quarterfinal match. The service was held at Igreja Matriz church in the Portuguese town of Gondomar, where Jota had a home. Church bells pealed at 10:00 a.m. local time as the funeral started. Pallbearers carried the caskets of both brothers from a chapel next door and into the church. Relatives and hundreds of friends and acquaintances, including players of the local Gondomar FC where Jota started playing at age 9, then followed. Portugal's national team coach Roberto Martínez and several other top Portuguese players also attended, including Manchester City duo Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias and Manchester United's Bruno Fernándes. 'These are really, really sad days, as you can imagine,' Martínez said. "But today we showed we are a large, close family. ... Their spirit will be with us forever.' The bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, led the funeral mass. The church was filled to capacity and a couple of dozen people followed the service via loudspeaker from outside. Afterwards, the coffins were carried to the cemetery next to the church. Jota, 28, and the 25-year-old Silva were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain early Thursday after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed on an isolated stretch of highway just after midnight and burst into flames. The brothers were reportedly heading to catch a boat from northern Spain to go to England where Jota was to rejoin with Liverpool after a summer break. Spanish police are investigating the cause of the crash, which did not involve another vehicle, they said. They said they believe it could have been caused by a blown tire. Their bodies were repatriated to Portugal after being identified by the family. A wake was held for them on Friday. Jota's death occurred two weeks after he married long-time partner Rute Cardoso while on vacation from a long season where he helped Liverpool win the Premier League. The couple had three children, the youngest born last year. Their loss led to an outpouring of condolences from the soccer world and Portuguese officials.
Asharq Al-Awsat
37 minutes ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Thomas Muller Bids Farewell to Bayern Munich with Loss in Club World Cup
After the final whistle to his Club World Cup, Thomas Muller waved to the Bayern Munich fans one last time. His quarter-century with the German club is over. The 35-year-old Muller went out with a 2-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals on Saturday, a bittersweet ending to a tenure filled with so much glory. Muller came on as a substitute in the 80th minute and appeared to draw a penalty in the waning seconds of stoppage time when PSG's Nuno Mendes delivered a high challenge in the area. But the video review showed that Mendes' foot struck the ball, just missing Muller's chin, and that finished off the PSG victory. 'I'm still fully in work mode now,' Muller said. 'It doesn't feel much different from before the game when we tried, and I also tried, to just get one round further.' He wasn't ready to reflect on his brilliant career at Bayern, which began when he joined the club as a 10-year-old in the summer of 2000. 'In the end, maybe we deserved more,' Muller said. 'But in football when you have these tight matches, it's sometimes a coin flip. And, yes, we lost it.' Muller made more appearances than any other player at Bayern, with more than 200 goals scored and more than 200 set up for others. He led the club to a record 13 Bundesliga titles, going out with one last championship this past season. But Bayern announced in April that it would not extend his hefty contract for another season. 'Of course, I am aware that this was my last game, and I will see what goes through my head in the coming days,' Muller said. He hasn't revealed his future plans, though there have been reports linking him to a possible move to US-based Major League Soccer. 'At the moment, I'm not in the mood to share my deeper thoughts about my career,' Muller said. 'We lost a big fight, a very important game for us.'
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Real Madrid Beats Dortmund 3-2 After 3 Stoppage-Time Goals, Plays PSG in Club World Cup Semifinals
Kylian Mbappé's spectacular bicycle kick was among three goals in second-half stoppage time, and Real Madrid beat Borussia Dortmund 3–2 in a Club World Cup quarterfinal match on Saturday as goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois used his fingertips to palm away the potential tying goal on the game's final play. Gonzalo García and Fran García scored in the first 20 minutes as Madrid built a 2–0 lead. Dortmund's Maximilian Beier scored three minutes into stoppage time, and Mbappé, who entered in the 67th, restored a two-goal lead with his bicycle kick one minute later. Serhou Guirassy converted a penalty kick in the eighth minute of added time after he was fouled by Dean Huijsen, who received a red card and will miss the semifinals. Courtois used all of the lengthy arm on his 6-foot-7 frame to tip away Marcel Sabitzer's shot just before the final whistle. Madrid advanced to a semifinal match against Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, a day after Chelsea meets Brazilian club Fluminense. On a sunny afternoon with an 86-degree (30-degree Celsius) temperature at the 3 p.m. kickoff, Gonzalo García scored in the 10th minute and Fran García in the 20th. Gonzalo García, a 21-year-old who made only five Spanish league appearances in the past two seasons, was given the start by new Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso over Mbappé, still regaining fitness after acute gastroenteritis. García has four goals, tying Benfica's Ángel Di María and Al-Hilal's Marcos Leonardo for the tournament lead. Mbappé came on for Jude Bellingham, who missed a chance to play against his brother, Jobe, who was suspended for yellow-card accumulation. Madrid beat Dortmund 2–0 in the 2024 Champions League final and overcame a two-goal halftime deficit in a 5–2 victory of this season's league phase. Los Blancos were eliminated by Arsenal in this year's Champions League quarterfinals. Madrid has won five consecutive games against Dortmund and is unbeaten in seven since a 2014 Champions League quarterfinal defeat. American midfielder Gio Reyna didn't get off the bench and finished the tournament with one 13-minute appearance for Dortmund in five matches. This game drew 76,611 to MetLife Stadium, site of next year's World Cup final. Seats looked filled except for a completely empty suite level on one side. There was a moment of silence before kickoff for Liverpool's Diogo Jota and his brother, Penafiel's André Silva, who died in a car crash Thursday. Key moment: Courtois' final save on the game's final play to preserve the victory. Takeaways: Construction to remove seats in the corners enabled a 74-by-114-yard (68-by-105-meter) field, wider than for matches during the 2016 and 2024 Copa America tournaments.
