The football world stood still in Gondomar, Portugal, as players, coaches, and fans came together in sorrow and solidarity to say goodbye to Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, following their tragic deaths in a car crash in Spain.
Jota, 28, and Silva, who played for Penafiel in Portugal’s second tier, were travelling from Zamora back to England when the fatal accident occurred. Jota, recovering from minor surgery, had been advised not to fly ahead of Liverpool’s pre-season.
The funeral service took place at the Chapel of Resurrection, just outside Porto, where the air was thick with grief. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and defender Andy Robertson carried floral wreaths marked with the numbers 20 and 30, tributes to the brothers’ shirt numbers.
Portugal teammates Ruben Neves and João Cancelo flew in from their Club World Cup duties with Al Hilal, while Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, João Félix, and many more made the journey to pay their respects. Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and manager Arne Slot also attended, alongside ex-boss Jürgen Klopp.
Slot spoke of “an unimaginable loss” and a “sense of shock” that rippled through the Liverpool camp. Klopp, who brought Jota to Anfield in 2020, described himself as “heartbroken.”
Jota’s achievements were many. He scored 65 goals in 182 Liverpool appearances, helping the club to two Carabao Cups, an FA Cup, and their 20th league title. He had also won the Nations League with Portugal just weeks before the tragedy, capping it off by marrying his partner Rute Cardoso.
Now, the joy of that summer has turned to mourning. The football world, from Anfield to Lisbon, stood united in grief for a father, a brother, and a player who had so much more to give.
