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The Sun
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Family, friends and Liverpool teammates say final farewell at Diogo Jota & brother Andre's funeral after tragic crash
FAMILY, friends and Liverpool teammates said goodbye to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva's at their funeral in Portugal after Thursday's tragic car crash. Liverpool stars Virgil Van Dijk and Andy Robertson led mourners with two touching wreathes emblazoned with Diogo's number 20 and André's number 30. 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 A joint- funeral for Jota, 28, and his brother André Silva, 25, was held at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar church after the devastating crash. Portugal's head coach Roberto Martinez spoke after the ceremony and described how the days since their tragic deaths had been 'really, really sad' but the funeral today showed 'we are a very large, close family'. Martinez went on to say it was 'essential' for Portugal to show 'we are together,' adding the brothers' spirits will be 'with us forever'. He said: 'So thank you very much for your messages and for your support and everything that we receive [from] all over the world. 'Today we are all one football family.' Liverpool manager Arne Slot was there with his players - including Reds stars Joe Gomez, Darwin Nunez and Alexis Mac Allister. Former teammates Jordan Henderson and James Milner were also in attendance. Some of Jota's international teammates present at the ceremony were Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes, Chelsea's Joao Felix and Manchester City's Bernardo Silva. A huge crowd of mourners gathered outside the church and showed support for the brothers' friends, family, coaches and teammates as they walked in procession. The service was private but a live audio feed was played outside the church. Addressing Jota's children, who were not at the service, as well as their mother and grandparents, the Gondomar priest was heard saying in the broadcast: "There are no words, but there are feelings. "We also suffer a lot and we are with you emotionally." Jota, along with brother André, died when his hired acid green £210,000 Lamborghini supercar suffered a suspected tyre blowout and crashed in a fireball on the A52 highway in Zamora province, northern Spain. The brothers were en route to the Spanish port city of Santander to catch a ferry to the UK after the Portugal star was urged not to travel by plane following lung surgery. Tributes have flooded in since the horrific news, including from Jota's Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and current Reds boss Arne Slot. 6 minutes ago By Annabel Bate Head coach of the Portugal national team, Roberto Martinez, speaks to the media Head coach of the Portugal national team, Roberto Martinez, speaks to the media 18 minutes ago By Annabel Bate Liverpool player Conor Bradley (C) steps out of the church after funeral ceremony 30 minutes ago By Annabel Bate Portugal's head coach says the brothers' spirits 'will be with us forever' Portugal's head coach Roberto Martinez has spoken outside the church where the brothers' funeral took place. He started by describing how the days since their tragic deaths had been "really, really sad" but the funeral today showed "we are a very large, close family". Martinez went on to say it was "essential" for Portugal to show "we are together," adding the brothers' spirits will be "with us forever". He said: "So thank you very much for your messages and for your support and everything that we receive [from] all over the world. "Today we are all one football family." 36 minutes ago By Annabel Bate Former Liverpool's Captain Jordan Henderson after funeral By Annabel Bate Liverpool FC players Ibrahima Konate, Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones leave the church Today, 11:37 By Annabel Bate Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk (C) leaves funeral Today, 11:36 By Annabel Bate Liverpool's team players step out of the church Today, 11:36 By Annabel Bate Liverpool manager Arne Slot leaves ceremony Today, 11:26 By Annabel Bate Jordan Henderson and James Milner leave funeral Today, 11:15 By Annabel Bate In Anfield, fans pay their respects outside stadium Today, 11:10 By Annabel Bate Ceremony ends The ceremony has ended. Church bells rang as the coffins were carried out. Mourners gathered inside the church are now leaving. Today, 10:53 By Annabel Bate Wreath from Wolves arrives at funeral Today, 10:36 By Annabel Bate Funeral service begins with prayer A live audio feed of the funeral is being played outside the church, with the service starting with the Lord's Prayer. Diogo Jota and André Silva's family are Catholic. A Gondomar priest told local media on Friday that Jota cared deeply about his faith. Today, 10:23 By Annabel Bate Crowds gathered while family and players walk in procession A huge crowd of mourners has gathered outside the church. They have been showing support for Jota and his brother Andre's friends, family, coaches and teammates who have been walking in procession. Today, 10:19 By Annabel Bate Mourners filing into church Today, 10:19 By Annabel Bate Family and friends gather in church for funeral Family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva are gathering inside the church for the funeral. The coffins have arrived. Today, 10:14 By Annabel Bate Former Liverpool's Captain Jordan Henderson arrives Today, 10:03 By Annabel Bate Chelsea's Renato Veiga arrives Today, 09:59 By Annabel Bate Liverpool players walk to the church Today, 09:57 By Annabel Bate Liverpool's Curtis Jones (C) and Technical Director Julian Ward (R) arrive Today, 09:54 By Liverpool's Joe Gomez and Arne Slot arrive Today, 09:54 By Annabel Bate Darwin Nunez, football player for Liverpool and Uruguay, and his partner Lorena Manas, arrive Today, 09:52 By Annabel Bate Arne Slot, Manager of Liverpool FC, arrives with players and coaching staff Today, 09:50 By Annabel Bate Porto FC President Andre Villas-Boas arrives Today, 09:45 By Annabel Bate Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk and Liverpool's player Andrew Robertson arrive
New York Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Andre Silva remembered: How Diogo Jota's brother forged his own football path
Diogo Jota did not need to think twice. The question was posed during an interview with ESPN's 'Ball Knowledge' programme in January, with the Liverpool striker being asked which players he most enjoyed watching and why. 'My brother,' Jota said, with a laugh. 'My brother plays in Penafiel, the second division in Portugal. He is by far the one I most enjoyed.' Advertisement That brother was Andre Filipe Teixeira da Silva, Diogo's younger sibling by three years. It was Andre that Diogo most loved watching when he wasn't starring for Liverpool and Portugal, and it was Andre who was by his side when the car they were driving in through north-west Spain crashed in the small hours of Thursday morning, killing them both. Their funeral will take place in their home city of Gondomar today. The shockwave caused by the tragedy is still rippling through the football world. Diogo — whose full name was Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva — was recently married and he leaves behind three young children. His career in professional football was supremely successful: a winner of three major trophies in England with Liverpool, including last season's Premier League title, a full Portugal international and with 136 goals at senior club level. Diogo's name might be the more familiar, but Andre's passing will leave an emotional scar that runs just as deep. He was also carving his own path in football and was a regular starter for Penafiel, a club based in the city of the same name, around 25 miles east of Porto in northern Portugal. But that journey, no doubt inspired by the success of his older brother, was cut tragically short. There are many parallels with Diogo's story. Andre also grew up as a football obsessive in Gondomar, a small municipality to the east of Porto in northern Portugal, with his parents Joaquim Silva and Isabel Silva. People in Gondomar remember the two boys playing football in the street. 'I lived right across the street, and I would hear 'boom, boom, boom' — it was him and his brother,' neighbour Joao Ferreira told Portuguese news outlet JN. 'One would play goalkeeper, at the entrance to a garage, and the other would kick the ball.' Another local, Ventura Pereira, recalls the pair 'breaking down gates' playing football and that his wife, 'who knows nothing about football', knew both were going to be special players. Advertisement Andre started out playing for the local team, again just like Diogo, before leaving, aged 11, to join the youth setup at Porto. He was a tricky winger with fast feet and an infectious energy that allowed him to play across the front line. On Thursday, the club posted pictures on their social media accounts of a proud young Andre holding an award during his time at the club. André Silva (2000-2025). Descansa em paz 💙#MarcaPorto — FC Porto (@FCPorto) July 3, 2025 Andre clearly had talent, spending time on the books at Pacos de Ferreira, Famalicao and Boavista during his teenage years, all first-division sides at the time. He returned to Gondomar aged 21 to take his first steps in senior football, before his big break: a move to Penafiel in July 2023, seeing him jump two divisions to the Portuguese second tier. Things could not have started much better for Andre in professional football, winning a penalty for his new side just 25 minutes into his debut against Leixoes. With an incredible piece of skill, he flicked the ball through the legs of Ricardo Teixeira as he looked to control a long throw into the box — the ball not touching the ground before it bounced off Andre's heel — before wriggling goal-side of the defender and falling to the ground after a bump to the hips. Just over half an hour later, he had scored his first-ever goal at this level of football, sliding in at the back post to toe-poke home a low, driven cross. He celebrated incredulously, clearly overcome with emotion, pointing to the name on his back before disappearing into a huddle of team-mates. It was the reaction of a man — then only 23 — who had taken his opportunity, the adrenaline pumping as he felt his career opening up in front of him. Andre's quiet determination would characterise the rest of his time at the club, his tenacity and head-down approach seeing him quickly establish himself as a player that manager Helder Cristovao could rely on. He featured in all but two of Penafiel's games this season, with the club dreaming of an unlikely promotion to the top tier in second place as recently as March before a downturn in form left them in 11th. Advertisement He would score six more goals for Penafiel — a powerful close-range strike against Nacional, a sharp run in behind and near-post finish against Portimonense, and even a brave header against UD Leiria — all celebrated with the same sense of unbridled joy. 'Andre brought different things to our game, a lot of speed,' Cristovao told Sport TV, 'but more than the footballer, we have to talk about the person, a very well-rounded kid. He just finished his management course at university — he never stopped studying, he always continued to study and work. He took business because he had started a business with his brother.' Another of Andre's clubs, Pacos de Ferreira, remarked upon his 'humility, responsibility and immense dedication', his unassuming nature a recurring theme for those who had spent time with him. His brother, Diogo, had made it in football, and Andre was well on his way to forging a fine career closer to home, but both were grounded, hard-working players who were grateful for the opportunities that their talent had given them. Cristovao says it best with a single word, 'menino' — 'kid' — and far too much time was taken away from Andre. Portuguese football will mourn the player it has lost, and wonder about what he may yet have achieved, but the greatest tragedy revolves around a family that has seen two cherished brothers ripped away so cruelly.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Not just Florian Wirtz - Liverpool have ANOTHER exciting German wonderkid
And there's another lesser known youngster at the club who is following in their footsteps at the moment and will hope to follow in their footsteps of Wirtz, too, having been likened to Jamal Musiala. His name is Vincent Joseph and he plays for Liverpool's U16 team and Germany's U15 national team. Advertisement Many in Germany have likened him to Musiala due to his playing style and the fact that he grew up in England and could play for the Three Lions as well but has opted to represent Germany at the moment. The 15-year-old has been catching the eye at academy level this season. An attacking midfielder, who can also play as a no.10 and out wide and even as a striker, Joseph has been at the club since U9 level, penning his first contract in the presence of Trent Alexander-Arnold almost seven years ago as per Liverpool's official website. He captained Liverpool at Bayern Munich's U15 Elite Cup last year and has been regularly playing for the club's U16 team this season. A goal-scorer, who can take players on one vs one and play comfortably with his back to goal, Joseph scored hat-tricks against the likes of Everton and Stockport already this season. Advertisement He's been catching the eye in youth tournaments across Europe, just take a look at this rabona assist he made in a tournament in Poland earlier this year in the video above. Joseph comes from a footballing family. His older brother, Valentin, plays for Blackburn Rovers' U18 team and is also an exciting prospect with 14 goal contributions in 19 matches - close to a goal or assist every 92 minutes in the U18 Premier League this season - including three goal contributions in two matches against Liverpool. He's an exciting prospect with a lot of potential. After so many years of not having exciting German players in the team, ironically while playing under the most successful German manager in recent history, Liverpool could now have two of Germany's brightest prospects.
New York Times
28-05-2025
- General
- New York Times
Baylor redshirt freshman Alex Foster dies at 18
Baylor defensive lineman Alex Foster died at age 18, athletic director Mack Rhoades and coach Dave Aranda announced Wednesday in a joint statement. They called Foster's death 'unexpected' and gave no further details. Foster, a redshirt freshman, was a three-star recruit in the Bears' Class of 2024 and was expected to play a key role on Baylor's defensive line rotation this coming season. Advertisement 'We are heartbroken by the unexpected loss of Alex Foster, a beloved member of our football family. Our deepest condolences are with Alex's family and all who loved him, as we lift them up in prayer now and in the days to come,' Rhoades and Aranda said in the statement. 'In this time of deep sorrow, we draw strength from our faith, the love of the Baylor community, and the unbreakable bond forged through the game we love. Alex's memory will forever be part of our hearts and this program.' — Baylor Football (@BUFootball) May 28, 2025 In a separate message on X, Aranda said Foster made 'a long-lasting impact' on the members of Baylor's program. 'Our hearts are broken, and our prayers are with his family, friends and all those who loved him so deeply.' This story will be updated.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Forever grateful' Balogun confirms Rangers exit
Leon Balogun has confirmed his Rangers exit, saying it has been a "great, great privilege" to play for "this massive club".Having departed in summer 2022 after helping Rangers win the title in his initial two-year spell, the Nigeria defender returned 12 months later and has made 49 appearances in his second is now out of contract and while Rangers are yet to confirm his departure, the 36-year-old has said his farewells in a social media post., external"It's been nothing short of an honour, a pleasure and a great, great privilege to represent this massive club - twice," he said."So many memories, good ones as well as a few tough ones. But it's the latter especially that made my love for the club grow even stronger."Balogun regrets that he was not given the chance of a goodbye in front of the Rangers support."Unfortunately I wasn't afforded that opportunity, which saddens me as I would have liked to to have walked round Ibrox one last time and returned all the love and support you've given me during my two stints," he added."I don't know when I'll be back, but I promise I won't be a stranger. You've become more than just my club, you've become family. And for that I will be forever grateful."
