Topline
Soccer star Diogo Jota, who played for Liverpool F.C. and the Portuguese national team, was killed in a car accident in Spain early on Thursday morning, just two weeks after he got married and only two months since he won the English Premier League title.
Liverpool’s Diogo Jota gestures during the English Premier League soccer match between Wolverhampton … More
Key Facts
In a statement, Liverpool F.C. said it was informed that the “28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre Silva.”
The English soccer club said Jota’s death was an “unimaginable loss” and added that it will make no further comments at this time and request privacy for Jota’s family, friends, teammates, and club staff.
In a statement on X, the Portuguese Football Federation said it was “completely devastated” by the news and expressed its “deepest condolences to the family and friends of Diogo and Andre Silva.”
Silva made 49 appearances for the Portuguese men’s national team and played 123 games for Liverpool.
Jota’s death comes weeks after he married Rute Cardoso, with whom he has three children.
The 28-year-old was a key member of the Liverpool squad that won the Premier League title this year, as he scored six goals in his 28 appearances.
What Do We Know About The Accident?
Citing the Spanish Civil Guard, the Associated Press reported that Jota and his brother were killed in the city of Zamora after their Lamborghini car went off the road and crashed. The agency told the New York Times that the vehicle likely went off the road due to a tire blowout while attempting an overtake and caught fire after the crash.
How Have The Soccer World And Others Reacted To Jota’s Death?
Jota’s Portugal teammate Cristiano Ronaldo mourned Jota’s death in an X post, saying: “It doesn’t make sense. We were only just in the national team together, you had only just got married. To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world…We’ll all miss you.” In a status update on Instagram, Liverpool legend and former captain Steven Gerrard wrote: “RIP Diogo. Condolences to his family and friends during this incredibly sad time.” NBA superstar Lebron James, who is a minor equity holder in Liverpool’s owner Fenway Sports Group, wrote on X: “My prayers goes out to his loved ones during this time! May you all be guided and protected!” Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro tweeted: “The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honored Portugal’s name, and his brother is unexpected and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to their family. It is a sad day for football and for national and international sports.” The 28-year-old’s death was also mentioned during a session of the U.K. Parliament on Thursday as the country’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she received the “heartbreaking news a moment ago before we came in to the chamber that [Jota] lost his life at just 28 years of age,” before he extended her condolences on behalf of the House of Commons.
Big Number
$56 million (£41 million). That is the transfer fee Liverpool paid for the Portuguese forward when he moved from the Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020.
This is a developing story.
