Liverpool and Portugal ahead Diogo Jota, 28, has died alongside his brother and fellow footballer Andre Silva, 26, following a site visitors accident in Spain.
Marca report that the brothers’ automobile went off the street on the A-52 freeway in north-west Spain within the early hours of Thursday morning. The BBC add that the Lamborghini blew out a tyre whereas overtaking one other automobile, and subsequently left the street and caught hearth.
Firefighters responded to the scene, however each brothers had been pronounced useless at round 00:30 am.
Born Diogo José Teixeira da Silva in Porto in 1996, Diogo Jota – as he was generally identified – got here by means of the ranks with Portuguese facet Pacos de Ferreira earlier than incomes a transfer to Atletico Madrid in 2016.
Jota instantly went out on a season-long mortgage to Porto after which, the next season, to then-Championship facet Wolverhampton Wanderers, who signed the ahead on a everlasting deal after his 17 targets helped them earn promotion to the Premier League in 2018.
That marked a return to top-flight soccer after a six-year spell within the EFL, which included a season in League One – and Jota was an enormously vital participant in serving to them safe it.
His spectacular type within the high flight earned Jota the primary of his 49 Portugal caps in 2019 and prompted Jurgen Klopp’s newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool to maneuver for his signature in 2020.
Jota’s supervisor at Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo, had nothing however good issues to say about Jota even after his departure, saying earlier than the 2 sides met the next season: “I’ll give him a giant, massive hug and ultimately a kiss, that is how a lot I like him. The friendship that we had for 4 or 5 years collectively each day – massive hug!
“I’m completely certain that if Molineux was filled with our followers, he would have an enormous reception as a result of what Diogo did with us was superb, incredible, past phrases.
“He was really admired as a result of he gave every little thing he had for the membership. He joined us within the Championship coming from Porto, put his life and coronary heart right here, and that can’t ever be forgotten.”
Jota made an instantaneous impression at Anfield, scoring seven targets in his first ten appearances for the membership, and went on to assist the facet to the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League finals in 2021/22.
The ahead loved his greatest goalscoring type that season with 21 targets in 55 video games in all competitions, and appeared in all three finals from the bench, serving to Liverpool to win a double of home trophies.
Klopp singled out Jota for reward in the direction of the top of that season, saying: “Distinctive participant, distinctive boy. He has every little thing {that a} Liverpool participant on this squad wants.
“He has the technical abilities, he has the bodily abilities and he’s very good and may study all of the tactical stuff fairly fast. On high of that, he can play all three positions; in a 4-2-3-1 he might play as the ten – so it is vitally useful.
“He has the velocity, has the need to complete conditions off actually good. I believe his goalscoring document is fairly spectacular.”
Jota struggled with accidents all through the remainder of his time at Liverpool however remained an vital participant when match, and celebrated his first league title final season after enjoying his half in Arne Slot’s facet.
The Dutchman, too, hailed Jota’s soccer intelligence after he returned from damage and helped his facet rescue a draw with an equaliser in opposition to Fulham.
Slot stated: “He understands the sport very well. He understands it on a special degree, he sees conditions barely earlier to adapt faster, he’s each footed and an excellent finisher. I really like the Diogo story.”
Jota capped that season by serving to Portugal to say the 2025 Nations League trophy, showing in its place in his nation’s penalty shootout victory over Spain.
Simply two weeks in the past, Jota married his long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso in his hometown of Porto. The pair have three kids.
Our ideas are with Jota’s household, pals and teammates because the soccer world joins them in mourning the lack of a popular man and an outstanding footballer.