The football world is in mourning following the tragic loss of Liverpool and Portuguese national team star Diogo Jota, who died at the age of 28 in a car accident on the night of July 3, 2025, in northwest Spain. His 25-year-old brother, André Silva, also died in the crash. The Spanish Guardia Civil has released a detailed statement revealing the circumstances of the tragedy on the A-52 motorway near Cernadilla, in the province of Zamora.
According to authorities, the Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder in which Jota and his brother were traveling suffered a sudden flat tire while attempting to overtake another vehicle. This failure caused the car to lose control, sending it careening off the road. The vehicle rolled several times before catching fire, also starting a blaze in the surrounding vegetation. Despite the rapid intervention of the Zamora Provincial Council firefighters and medical services, the two occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.
A Spanish government official indicated that police are investigating possible excessive speed as a contributing factor, although this remains to be confirmed through further analysis. Identification of the victims was complicated by the fire, but authorities used the vehicle’s license plate and personal documents recovered from the wreckage, later confirmed by DNA tests and fingerprint analysis. It is still unclear whether Jota or his brother was driving.
Jota’s physiotherapist, Miguel Gonçalves, dismissed rumors that the brothers had been partying before the accident. He described Jota as “an outstanding professional,” enthusiastic about returning to training with Liverpool after recent lung surgery. Due to the surgery, Jota had been advised against flying, leading him to travel by road from Portugal to Santander to catch a ferry to England. His brother André, a professional player at Penafiel, accompanied him.
The tragedy comes just ten days after Jota married his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, on June 22 in Porto. The couple, together since 2012, are survived by three young children. Rute shared an emotional message on social media: “My dream has come true,” to which Jota replied: “I’m the lucky one.” The football community is in shock, with tributes from Liverpool FC, teammates like Cristiano Ronaldo and Darwin Núñez, and fans laying flowers and scarves at Anfield.
A wake for Jota and André is planned for Friday morning at the Chapel of the Resurrection in Gondomar, Portugal, followed by their funeral on Saturday at the Church of the Mother. The Portuguese Football Federation and UEFA have announced minutes of silence during matches at Euro 2025 in tribute to the brothers.
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