Diogo Jota crashed as he headed to Santander to catch a ferry to the UK after being advised not to fly following lung surgery, it was reported today.
CNN Portugal said medics told the Liverpool star he shouldn’t catch a plane after the surgery.
The 28-year-old died in a car crash on Thursday morning with his brother Andre Silva, 26, in the Spanish province of Zamora at around 00:30 local time.
The channel’s sports editor Rui Laura said today live on air: “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.
Diogo Jota pictured with his brother Andre Silva and wife, Rute Cardoso
Diogo Jota pictured with his brother Andre Silva and wife, Rute Cardoso (Image: Diogo Jota Instagram)
“He was on his way to Liverpool with his brother.”
Another Portuguese journalist, Victor Pinto told the country’s CMTV channel: “Diogo Jota sometimes chose to travel by road because he had some pulmonary discomfort, nothing serious, and as we know, there is a ferry boat that connects the south of England to Spain’s Cantabria region.
"The information we have is that he was going to take a ferry to Santander, so this means it wasn't exactly a road trip from England to Portugal.
“In this case, Diogo Jota would have made the ferry trip with his brother.”
Police said that the car they were travelling in - a Lamborghini - left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle. Their car then caught fire.
According to El Pais, the fire damage to the bodies prevented the necessary tests from being carried out to confirm beyond any doubt that the two victims were the Liverpool star and his brother.
The tragic accident comes just 11 days after Jota married his long-time partner, Rute Cardoso. His last Instagram post was a video montage of their special day, which involved their three children.
More to follow...
This is a breaking sports story and is being constantly updated with the latest news, pictures and videos. Please refresh the page regularly.
You can also get email updates on the day’s biggest sports stories straight to your inbox by signing up for our sports newsletter.
Get all the very best sports news, pictures, opinion and video by following Daily Star every time you see our name.
Follow Daily Star on Google News - CLICK HERE and click the star
Follow Daily Star on Apple News - CLICK HERE available on Apple devices
Follow Daily Star on Flipboard - CLICK HERE and click follow
You can also sign up for Twitter alerts for breaking news by following @DailyStar_Sport and follow us @dailystar for all the latest updates.
Keep up-to-date with your must-see sports stories, features, videos and pictures throughout the day by following us on Facebook at Daily Star Football | London