A minute’s silence was held in honour of the late Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva before Portugal’s Women’s Euro 2025 clash with Spain this evening.
The 28-year-old Liverpool forward and his younger sibling, 25, were both killed when their car crashed in Spain this morning, just hours before the Portuguese women’s team got their campaign up and running.
Local police have since confirmed that the Lamborghini the pair were travelling in sustained a tyre blow out while overtaking another vehicle as it left the A-52 road in Zamora, in the northwest of the country.
The devastating news comes less than two weeks after Jota – a multiple trophy-winner with Liverpool – married his partner Rute Cardoso, the mother to his three small children.
In the intervening hours, the global football community have united in paying tribute to Jota and his brother, André, with grief-stricken fans and team-mates offering their condolences to friends, family and loved ones on social media.
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Meanwhile, Liverpool supporters have been gathering outside Anfield throughout the day to remember the life and career of the Portugal international, who helped the club win the Premier League title last season.
This evening, Portugal fans were pictured holding aloft banners and messages emblazoned with Jota’s name as they packed out the stands at Young Boys’ Wankdorf Stadium in Bern.
Shortly after the devastating news broke of Jota’s passing, UEFA confirmed that all four Women’s Euro 2025 matches across Thursday and Friday would hold a ‘moment of silence’ in tribute.
Belgium and Italy paid their respects before today’s earlier kick-off and there were emotional scenes in Switzerland as Portugal’s squad locked arms and observed a minute’s silence on the pitch.
Portugal’s head coach, Francisco Neto, appeared close to tears as a black and white image of Jota was displayed on the giant screen inside the 32,000-seater stadium.
‘In memory of Diogo Jota 1996-2025,’ a message on the screen read.
Jota’s funeral will take place from 3pm tomorrow in Sao Cosme, just outside of Porto, where close friends and family are expected to be in attendance. This will be followed by a service at 10am on Saturday.
Hearses were pictured pulling up to a funeral home this afternoon in Puebla de Sanabria, the town in north-western Spain where the two bodies were taken.
Jota had been planning to make his way back to England by ferry when the tragic accident occurred, with doctors advising the Liverpool star against flying following a minor operation.
‘The surgery he had had was lung surgery and he had been advised against flying following this,’ CNN Portugal’s Rui Laura explained.
‘He was on his way to the northern Spanish port city of Santander to cross the ferry and reach the UK that way and carry on with the car once he reached Britain.’
Liverpool have confirmed that the club will look to honour Diogo Jota with ‘meaningful tributes’ in due course following the tragic passing of their ‘truly irreplaceable’ No.20.
An official club statement read: ‘In such heartbreaking circumstances, it is our responsibility to acknowledge the collective grief we are experiencing, to pay tribute to our Diogo, and to offer unwavering support to his family who remain our absolute priority at this time.
‘Diogo’s wife, Rute, their three beautiful children, his parents and wider family are facing an unimaginable loss. This tragic accident has taken not only Diogo, but also his brother, Andre Silva. We mourn them both equally. We must respect the family’s privacy and give them the space to grieve in whichever way they need.
‘Of course, we – his Liverpool family – are also struggling to come to terms with what has happened. As his team-mates, friends and colleagues, we are consumed by shock and sorrow. We know our supporters, his national team, former clubs and teammates and the wider football community share in this grief. This is a tragedy that transcends Liverpool Football Club.
‘In the coming days, we as a club will look to honour our beloved number 20 with the respect and affection he so richly deserves. We will strive to make these tributes meaningful and inclusive of our supporters, to whom Diogo meant so much.
‘For now, we express a love that is filled with deep sorrow and pain. We have lost someone truly irreplaceable.‘
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