Mourners gather in Portugal for Diogo Jota's wake as Salah and Robertson pay tribute

The Guardian

a day ago

Mourners have gathered at a vigil in Portugal to commemorate Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, following their deaths in a car accident.
Jota and his 25-year-old sibling died when the Lamborghini they were travelling in careered off a road in north-western Spain in the early hours of Thursday. The bodies of the two professional footballers were returned to Portugal later that day. Jota was 28 and had married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, 11 days before his death. They had three young children.
José Manuel Macedo, parish priest at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in São Cosme, said that a vigil for the brothers was taking place at the nearby Capela da Ressurreição on Friday before their funeral at the Igreja Matriz church on Saturday at 10am. Jota and Silva grew up in Gondomar, a small city east of Porto.
Liverpool have chartered a plane to take club staff to Portugal before the funeral service. Liverpool players, most of whom are currently on holiday, will also be in attendance. The majority were due to report back for the start of pre-season training early next week but all football-related activity at the club, from first team to academy level, has been put on hold. The club's priority is supporting Jota's bereaved family.
On Friday Mohamed Salah said Jota's death had left him dreading going back to Liverpool. 'I am truly lost for words,' he wrote on social media. '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.'
Jota had been working with Dr Miguel Gonçalves in Portugal before his return to pre-season training, having undergone a procedure on his lung. In an interview with Portuguese media outlet Record, Dr Gonçalves said: 'I said goodbye to him and his brother, André, at around 8.30pm. 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. 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 today [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.'
Dr Gonçalves claimed Jota was receiving specialist treatment over a collapsed lung. He added: '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 yesterday he was no longer in pain and was going to return to Liverpool. 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.'
Liverpool players have spoken of their pain in paying tribute to their teammate. Virgil van Dijk, the captain, said on Instagram he was 'absolutely devastated and in total disbelief'. The defender wrote in a post alongside a picture of Jota with the Premier League trophy: 'What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man.
'You meant so much to all of us and you always will! For your family to lose two sons, a husband and a father is just unimaginable. So cruel and unfair. My heart is breaking for all of your beautiful family, for Rute and for your kids. I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family.
'A champion forever, number 20 forever. It's been a privilege to have stood by your side on the pitch, and to have been your friend off it. We will miss you beyond words and never forget you. Your legacy will live on, we will make sure of it! Rest in perfect peace Diogo & André.'
Andy Robertson, a close friend of the popular striker, also paid an emotional tribute. 'The ones I'm thinking about most right now are the family. Their loss is too much to bear,' the Scotland left-back posted on Instagram. 'I'm so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls – Diogo and André. For the team and the club, we'll try to cope with this together … however long that takes.
'For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. It's the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I've ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish ... I'd try to claim him as Scottish. I even called him Diogo MacJota. We'd watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight – one of the best we had.
'The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family. I can't believe we're saying goodbye. It's too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better'.
The former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson returned to Anfield on Friday to pay his own respects to Jota. Henderson was visibly moved as he laid flowers among the huge number of tributes to the striker and spent time reading some of the messages in memory of Jota and his brother. The Ajax captain, who played alongside Jota for three seasons, later signed the book of condolence that Liverpool have opened inside the stadium.
'Jots it was a pleasure to share a pitch with you but more importantly a friendship,' Henderson wrote on Instagram. 'All the laughs we had off the pitch and trying to find ways to wind milly [James Milner] up and get him fined, which we never could. Taking pictures of me asleep on the bus travelling then sending them to me later. You always wanted to have a laugh and were a pleasure to be around.
'I know how much Rute and your family meant to you and I know you will always be looking down on them. Thank you for everything you brought into this world, we will all miss you.'
A delegation from Everton that included their two Portuguese-born forwards Beto and Youssef Chermiti also visited Anfield to pay tribute to Jota, whose final goal came against them in the Merseyside derby in April. The Everton players and club ambassador Ian Snodin were applauded by Liverpool fans as they each left a wreath outside the stadium. One read: 'Our city is united in grief. With deepest sympathy from all at Everton Football Club.'
At Wimbledon, the Portuguese pair Nuno Borges and Francisco Cabral paid tribute to their compatriot by wearing black ribbons on court. Borges wore the item on his cap during his third-round singles match with 17th seed Karen Khachanov after Cabral donned one on his shirt sleeve during his doubles match earlier on Friday as the All England Club relaxed its strict all-white dress code to allow tributes to the Liverpool forward.
Uefa has announced that a moment of silence will be observed at Women's Euro 2025 matches on Friday, as they were on Thursday.