In memory of Diogo Jota, as Liverpool and Portugal forward dies at age 28

Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, 28, has died alongside his brother and fellow footballer Andre Silva, 26, following a traffic accident in Spain.

Marca report that the brothers' vehicle went off the road on the A-52 highway in north-west Spain in the early hours of Thursday morning. The BBC add that the Lamborghini blew out a tyre while overtaking another vehicle, and subsequently left the road and caught fire.

Firefighters responded to the scene, but both brothers were pronounced dead at around 00:30 am.

Born Diogo José Teixeira da Silva in Porto in 1996, Diogo Jota - as he was commonly known - came through the ranks with Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira before earning a move to Atletico Madrid in 2016.

Jota immediately went out on a season-long loan to Porto and then, the following season, to then-Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers, who signed the forward on a permanent deal after his 17 goals helped them earn promotion to the Premier League in 2018.

That marked a return to top-flight football after a six-year spell in the EFL, which included a season in League One - and Jota was an enormously important player in helping them secure it.

His impressive form in the top flight earned Jota the first of his 49 Portugal caps in 2019 and prompted Jurgen Klopp's newly-crowned Premier League champions Liverpool to move for his signature in 2020.

Jota's manager at Wolves, Nuno Espirito Santo, had nothing but good things to say about Jota even after his departure, saying before the two sides met the following season: "I will give him a big, big hug and eventually a kiss, this is how much I like him. The friendship that we had for four or five years together every day – big hug!

“I’m absolutely sure that if Molineux was full of our fans, he would have a huge reception because what Diogo did with us was amazing, fantastic, beyond words.

"He was truly admired because he gave everything he had for the club. He joined us in the Championship coming from Porto, put his life and heart here, and that cannot ever be forgotten."

Jota made an immediate impression at Anfield, scoring seven goals in his first ten appearances for the club, and went on to help the side to the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League finals in 2021/22.

The forward enjoyed his best goalscoring form that season with 21 goals in 55 games in all competitions, and appeared in all three finals from the bench, helping Liverpool to win a double of domestic trophies.

Klopp singled out Jota for praise towards the end of that season, saying: “Exceptional player, exceptional boy. He has everything that a Liverpool player in this squad needs.

“He has the technical skills, he has the physical skills and he is very smart and can learn all the tactical stuff pretty quick. On top of that, he can play all three positions; in a 4-2-3-1 he could play as the 10 - so it is very helpful.

“He has the speed, has the desire to finish situations off really good. I think his goalscoring record is pretty impressive.”

Jota struggled with injuries throughout the rest of his time at Liverpool but remained an important player when fit, and celebrated his first league title last season after playing his part in Arne Slot's side.

The Dutchman, too, hailed Jota's football intelligence after he returned from injury and helped his side rescue a draw with an equaliser against Fulham.

Slot said: “He understands the game really well. He understands it on a different level, he sees situations slightly earlier to adapt quicker, he’s both footed and a great finisher. I love the Diogo story."

Jota capped that season by helping Portugal to claim the 2025 Nations League trophy, appearing as a substitute in his country's penalty shootout victory over Spain.

Just two weeks ago, Jota married his long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso in his hometown of Porto. The pair have three children.

Our thoughts are with Jota's family, friends and teammates as the football world joins them in mourning the loss of a well-liked man and a superb footballer.