Liverpool Football Club forward, Diogo Jota, has died in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday, July 3, 2025. He was 28.
The fatal accident occurred on the A-52 highway near Cernadilla, in Zamora Province, northwestern Spain. Jota’s younger brother, André Silva, 26, also died in the crash.
According to Spanish authorities, the vehicle they were travelling in veered off the road and burst into flames, reportedly due to a suspected tyre blowout while overtaking. Emergency services confirmed both victims died at the scene.
The Guardia Civil said forensic tests identified one of the deceased as Diogo Jota, a player for Liverpool FC, and the other as his brother, who played for Penafiel, a club in Portugal’s second division.
Jota’s death comes just days after his wedding to longtime partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children.
Jota joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and had a decorated spell at Anfield, scoring 65 goals in 182 appearances and contributing to the club’s recent domestic and international successes.
Tributes have poured in from the football world, including Liverpool FC, the Portuguese Football Federation, and former teammates, mourning the loss of one of football’s brightest stars.
An investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
