Jota was travelling to the port of Santander to get a ferry back to the United Kingdom ahead of his club Liverpool\u2019s return for preseason. He was advised not to travel by plane after recently undergoing a minor surgery.<\/p>\n
Jota married long-time girlfriend Rute Cardoso in his home city of Porto, in northern Portugal, around 300km to the west of Zamora at the end of last month. The couple have three children.<\/p>\n
A wake is expected in Porto on Friday before a funeral service on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\u201cLiverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota<\/a>,\u201d a club statement on Thursday read.<\/p>\n A joint-statement from sporting director Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards, the CEO of football for Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, later revealed plans for tributes over the coming days.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is nothing that we can say in this moment to ease the pain of such a devastating tragedy. We all feel utterly bereft right now,\u201d it read. \u201cIn such heartbreaking circumstances, it is our responsibility to acknowledge the collective grief we are experiencing, to pay tribute to our Diogo, and to offer unwavering support to his family who remain our absolute priority at this time.<\/p>\n \u201cDiogo\u2019s wife, Rute, their three beautiful children, his parents and wider family are facing an unimaginable loss. This tragic accident has taken not only Diogo, but also his brother, Andre Silva. We mourn them both equally. We must respect the family\u2019s privacy and give them the space to grieve in whichever way they need.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, we \u2014 his Liverpool family \u2014 are also struggling to come to terms with what has happened. As his teammates, friends and colleagues, we are consumed by shock and sorrow. We know our supporters, his national team, former clubs and teammates and the wider football community share in this grief. This is a tragedy that transcends Liverpool Football Club.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the coming days, we as a club will look to honour our beloved number 20 with the respect and affection he so richly deserves. We will strive to make these tributes meaningful and inclusive of our supporters, to whom Diogo meant so much.<\/p>\n \u201cFor now, we express a love that is filled with deep sorrow and pain. We have lost someone truly irreplaceable. Rest in peace, Diogo.\u201d<\/p>\n Penafiel also released a statement on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cFutebol Clube Penafiel expresses its deepest sympathy for the tragic death of Andre Silva and his brother Diogo Jota, victims of a road accident in the last few hours,\u201d the club said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe loss of two young lives so closely linked to the world of football fills us with pain and dismay. At this difficult time, Penafiel would like to extend its deepest condolences to the family, friends and all those who shared moments of life and passion for sport with Andre and Diogo.<\/p>\n \u201cThe club will declare official mourning and pay tribute at upcoming fixtures. Rest in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n A statement from Pedro Proenca, the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, said that the \u201cwhole of Portuguese football are completely devastated\u201d by the news.<\/p>\n \u201cMuch more than a fantastic player, with almost 50 caps for the national team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all his team-mates and opponents, someone with a contagious joy and a reference point in his own community,\u201d read the statement, which offered condolences to Liverpool and Penafiel.<\/p>\n \u201cOn behalf of myself and the Portuguese Football Federation, I would like to express our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Diogo and Andre Silva, as well as to Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs the players played for respectively.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve lost two champions. The deaths of Diogo and Andre Silva represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n European football\u2019s governing body UEFA has confirmed a moment of silence will be observed at all of Thursday and Friday\u2019s matches at the Women\u2019s European Championship in Switzerland, including Portugal\u2019s opening game with Spain. There will be a similar tribute held ahead of the upcoming Club World Cup quarter-finals in the United States, FIFA have confirmed.<\/p>\n Andre Silva was a professional footballer with Penafiel in Portugal (Gualter Fatia\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n Jota, whose full name was Diogo Jos\u00e9 Teixeira da Silva, signed for Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 2020 for a fee of \u00a345million and went on to become a fixture of the side under former manager Jurgen Klopp. He helped the team win both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup in his second season at the club and reach the final of the Champions League.<\/p>\n Used as a centre-forward as well as a winger, as a starter and off the bench, Jota made 182 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 65 times. In the 2024-25 season, head coach Arne Slot\u2019s first season at the club, Jota scored nine goals in all competitions as Liverpool won the Premier League, the first league title of Jota\u2019s career. His squad number, 20, matched the club\u2019s historic number of titles. His final goal for the club was the winner over Everton in the Merseyside derby on April 2.<\/p>\n After progressing through the youth system at Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira, from the Porto District, Jota made his debut for the senior side in 2014 and went on to make 47 appearances for the club.<\/p>\n Jota was signed by Atletico Madrid in 2016 but was loaned out to Porto in August of that year, where he scored nine goals in 38 appearances.<\/p>\n The forward joined then-Championship side Wolves on loan for 2017-18, helping them achieve promotion to the Premier League as champions. His move to Molineux was made permanent in January 2018, departing Atletico without ever featuring for the team.<\/p>\n He scored nine league goals in his first top flight season with Wolves, helping the side achieve their best ever Premier League league finish of seventh and qualify for the Europa League, their first European campaign since 1980-81. Another seventh-place finish followed in 2019-20, Jota\u2019s final season at Wolves. He scored 44 goals in 131 appearances for the club.<\/p>\n A Portugal international since 2019, Jota was capped 49 times and scored 14 goals, winning the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025. His final game for Portugal came in the final of that competition last month, coming on as a substitute in the second half of extra-time as they beat Spain on penalties.<\/p>\n Everyone at Everton is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother Andr\u00e9 Silva. Our thoughts are with their family and friends at this sad time. pic.twitter.com\/JD5bT96fQj<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2190488698-scaled.jpg\")
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