Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota has been killed in a car crash in northwestern Spain at the age of 28, according to reports. The 28-year-old Portuguese winger was involved in the accident in Zamora, Spain, alongside his brother Andre Silva, 26, who played for second-tier club Penafiel.
The accident occurred on the A52, near the municipality of Palacios de Sanabria. The dad-of-three star was in a Lamborghini with his brother when the vehicle went off the road and caught fire. Local police said they believe on one of the supercar’s tires burst. Jota played on the left wing for Liverpool after joining from Wolves in 2020 for a fee of £41million.
The Portuguese national football team have said they are “devastated”. They added that he “was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person who was respected by all his teammates and opponents”.
Jota had got married just 10 days ago to his longterm partner Rute Cardoso and the couple have three children, Dinis, Durate, and a daughter who was born in 20
FC Porto paid tribute, saying: “Futebol Clube do Porto is in mourning.
The Portuguese forward started his career in his birthplace of Porto, playing for Paços de Ferreira. He made his first Primeira Liga appearance in 2015 and a year later moved to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. But the diminutive striker never made an appearance in La Liga and spent a year on loan at FC Porto where he scored eight goals. This caught the eye of then-Championship side Wolves who loaned the then-20-year-old before making the move permanent for a reported £12million. His 17 goals helped propel Wolves to the Premier League where he continued to impress at the highest level, scoring 16 goals over the following two seasons.
In 2020, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool bolstered their already strong striking options with Jota in a reported £45million deal.
