Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk shared an emotional tribute to team-mate Diogo Jota and his family after the forward's death following a car crash in Spain
22:29, 03 Jul 2025Updated 22:29, 03 Jul 2025
Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk (right) pledged his support to Diogo Jota's family(Image: Lewis Storey/Getty Images)
Liverpool's skipper Virgil van Dijk has pledged his support to Diogo Jota's family following the tragic death of the star and his brother Andre Silva in a car accident.
The incident took place on the A52 road in Sanabria, near the Spanish border with Portugal. The Lamborghini reportedly suffered a tyre blowout, leading to emergency services being called to the scene just before 1am. The football community has since been mourning the loss of Jota.
Van Dijk paid tribute to his teammate on social media on Thursday evening. Sharing his grief on Instagram, the Dutch defender penned: "Man, I can't believe it, I don't wanna believe it. Absolutely devastated and in total disbelief. What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man.
MUNICH, GERMANY - JUNE 08: Diogo Jota of Portugal poses for a photograph with the UEFA Nations League trophy after his team's victory in the UEFA Nations League 2025 final match between Portugal and Spain at Munich Football Arena on June 08, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Maja Hitij - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Jota tragically passed away earlier today(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
"You meant so much to all of us and you always will! For your family to lose two sons, a husband and a father is just unimaginable. So cruel and unfair. My heart is breaking for all of your beautiful family, for Rute and for your kids.
"I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family. A champion forever, number 20 forever.
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"It's been a privilege to have stood by your side on the pitch, and to have been your friend off it. We will miss you beyond words and never forget you."
File photo dated 25/09/24 of Diogo Jota. The Portuguese Football Federation has announced it is ‘devastated’ by the death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in Spain this morning. Issue date: Thursday July 3, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Jota was part of Liverpool's trophy-winning side(Image: PA)
Earlier, head coach Arne Slot expressed his shock and pain at the news, writing on the club's website: "What to say? What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words but I know I do not."
He added: "All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about."
Slot continued: "My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss."
jota
Jota had just married Rute Cardoso
He reassured the family: "My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone. The players, the staff, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club are all with you and from what I have seen today, the same can be said of the wider family of football."
Slot reflected on the outpouring of support, saying, "This is not solely a response to tragedy. It is also a reaction to the goodness of the people involved and the respect that so many have for the boys as individuals and for the family as a whole."
He concluded, "For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special.
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"I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it. Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals. The essence of what a Liverpool player should be.
"There were also the parts that not everyone got to see. The person who never sought popularity but found it anyway. Not a friend to two people, a friend to everyone. Someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family.
"The last time we spoke, I congratulated Diogo on winning the Nations League and wished him luck for his forthcoming wedding. In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this."