Diogo Jota and brother's funeral attended by Liverpool gamers

[ad_1] GONDOMAR, Portugal (AP) — Gamers from Liverpool and Portugal’s nationwide workforce joined household and associates for the funeral of their teammate Diogo Jota and his brother on Saturday, two days after the siblings died in a automobile crash in Spain.

Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk arrived carrying a purple floral association within the form of a soccer shirt with Jota’s No. 20 in white. Liverpool teammate Andrew Robertson carried an analogous association with the No. 30, the quantity worn by Jota’s brother, André Silva, who performed for Portuguese membership Penafiel. Coach Arne Slot was a part of the Liverpool contingent.

Assistants crowd exterior the church through the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, in Gondomar, close to Porto, Portugal, on Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photograph/Manu Fernandez)

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Portugal worldwide Rúben Neves served as a pallbearer for Jota a day after enjoying for on the Membership World Cup in the US. He and Jota had been teammates at Wolverhampton earlier of their careers.

Neves and João Cancelo attended the funeral after enjoying in Orlando on Friday, when their Al Hilal was eradicated by Fluminense. Each gamers had wept when a minute of silence was held earlier than the quarterfinal match.

The service was held at Igreja Matriz church within the Portuguese city of Gondomar, the place Jota had a house.

Church bells pealed at 10:00 a.m. native time because the funeral began. Pallbearers carried the caskets of each brothers from a chapel subsequent door and into the church. Kinfolk and tons of of associates and acquaintances, together with gamers of the native Gondomar FC the place Jota began enjoying at age 9, then adopted.

Diogo Jota’s spouse Rute Cardoso reacts subsequent to the coffin of his husband, throughout his funeral in Gondomar, close to Porto, Portugal, on Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photograph/Manu Fernandez)

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Portugal’s nationwide workforce coach Roberto Martínez and several other different high Portuguese gamers additionally attended, together with Manchester Metropolis duo Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernándes.

“These are actually, actually unhappy days, as you'll be able to think about,” Martínez mentioned. “However at the moment we confirmed we're a big, shut household. ... Their spirit will probably be with us endlessly.”

The bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, led the funeral mass. The church was crammed to capability and a few dozen individuals adopted the service through loudspeaker from exterior. Afterwards, the coffins had been carried to the cemetery subsequent to the church.

Jota, 28, and the 25-year-old Silva were found dead close to Zamora in northwestern Spain early Thursday after the Lamborghini they had been driving crashed on an remoted stretch of freeway simply after midnight and burst into flames.

Brothers killed in automobile crash The brothers had been reportedly heading to catch a ship from northern Spain to go to England the place Jota was to rejoin with Liverpool after a summer season break.

Spanish police are investigating the reason for the crash, which didn't contain one other automobile, they mentioned. They mentioned they consider it might have been brought on by a blown tire.

Liverpool’s Diogo Jota in Liverpool, Aug. 21, 2021. (Mike Egerton/PA through AP, File)

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Their our bodies had been repatriated to Portugal after being recognized by the household. A wake was held for them on Friday.

Jota’s dying occurred two weeks after he married long-time accomplice Rute Cardoso whereas on trip from an extended season the place he helped Liverpool win the Premier League. The couple had three youngsters, the youngest born final yr.

Their loss led to an outpouring of condolences from the soccer world and Portuguese officers.

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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