It has been a year since Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva tragically lost their lives in a car crash. Portugal face Croatia in their World Cup round of 32 clash this Thursday, on the eve of the anniversary of the brothers’ deaths.
The Portugal squad have donned wristbands throughout their World Cup campaign in tribute to their former teammate Jota. The forward was also displayed on stadium screens ahead of the team’s opening fixture against DR Congo, with his parents visibly emotional at the touching gesture.
Jota’s final competitive appearance saw him lift the Nations League trophy with Portugal, and his wife, Rute, has revealed it was the striker’s dream to represent his country at a World Cup. His international colleague Ruben Neves has shared that he still sends Jota WhatsApp messages to this day.
Liverpool and the wider football community were devastated last year by the sudden passing of Jota, 28, who had recently celebrated clinching the Premier League title with the Reds. The Portugal international had also just tied the knot with his long-term partner, Rute, just 11 days before his death, and Jota’s wife recently shared his wedding speech on their anniversary.
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His younger brother Andre, 25, was also a professional footballer, plying his trade for Portuguese club Penafiel. The pair were travelling together to the Spanish city of Santander, as Jota had been advised not to fly following lung surgery.
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The brothers had planned to catch an overnight ferry to England before reaching Portsmouth. However, the Lamborghini Huracan that Jota was driving veered off the road.
Explaining the reason behind Jota’s travel arrangements, CNN Portugal’s Rui Laura said: “The surgery he had had was lung surgery, and he had been advised against flying following this.
“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. He was on his way to Liverpool with his brother.”
View 3 ImagesPortugal are set to pay tribute to Diogo Jota at this year’s World Cup(Image: Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)
The police investigation into the incident determined that a tyre blowout had occurred while the Liverpool forward was attempting to overtake a vehicle on A-52, roughly 70 miles west of Valladolid. The vehicle then left the road at approximately 12.40am and burst into flames.
Firefighters, along with emergency services and the Civil Guard, extinguished the blaze, but it was confirmed that both occupants had died. A statement from the Civil Guard in Zamora read: “The investigation into the crash is being carried out by Civil Guard traffic officers. We believe the car suffered a blowout from the marks on the road. The full police report, once it is completed, will be submitted to a duty court in Zamora, which has launched an ongoing judicial investigation into this crash.
“That report is going to take time to complete, probably about four or five days, but possibly longer. At this moment in time, it is impossible to say exactly what speed the car was going, but that is something the Civil Guard investigators will be able to detail at least approximately in their final report from things like the skid marks. What I can confirm is that no other vehicle was involved and no one else was hurt.”
View 3 ImagesJota married Rute Cardoso shortly before his tragic death(Image: Rute Cardoso/Instagram)
Jota featured 37 times for Liverpool throughout the 2024/25 season, netting nine goals and registering four assists. Portugal competing close to the anniversary of his death will be a poignant moment for his national side, but boss Roberto Martinez has revealed how the forward continues to motivate his colleagues.
“Diogo is our light,” Martinez told The Athletic ahead of the World Cup. “Diogo is our reference of wanting to do or needing to do what his dream was, which was winning titles for Portugal, like he did winning the Nations League. He was a big part of what we built in the dressing room.
“He wanted to win the World Cup, so it becomes a bit of a responsibility, an example, because Diogo was the pure example of believing in whatever could be possible, always with that tenacity, always finding the answer in the right moment in the difficult moment in the game.”
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