4 July 2025, 07:52
Liverpool, UK. 11th Jan, 2025. Diogo Jota of Liverpool looks on. Emirates FA Cup 3rd round match, Liverpool v Accrington Stanley at Anfield in Liverpool on Saturday 11th January 2025.
Liverpool, UK. 11th Jan, 2025. Diogo Jota of Liverpool looks on. Emirates FA Cup 3rd round match, Liverpool v Accrington Stanley at Anfield in Liverpool on Saturday 11th January 2025. Picture: Alamy
It's been revealed that a tragic twist of fate ultimately led to the death of footballer Diogo Jota, after the star was advised by a doctor to drive to Liverpool rather than fly following surgery.
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The tragic crash took place on a stretch of the A-52 motorway near the town of Zamor in Spain, as Diogo Jota travelled back to Liverpool for pre-season training alongside his brother, Andre Silva.
The 28-year-old father of three, who had married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso just 11 days ago, died in the accident, which saw his Lamborghini blow a tyre before losing control and bursting into flames.
The pair were both killed in the inferno in the northwest of Spain that also claimed the life of his younger brother, Andre Silva.
It's now been revealed that the footballer's decision to drive followed a request from his doctor, with Jota having recently undergone lung surgery.
The Portugal international was reportedly advised not to fly, instead he planned to sail back to England on a ferry with his brother, with the pair killed as they drove towards the Spanish city of Santander.
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The location on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora, Spain, where Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, died following a car crash at 12:40am on Thursday. Picture date: Thursday July 3, 2025.
The location on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora, Spain, where Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, died following a car crash at 12:40am on Thursday. Picture date: Thursday July 3, 2025. Picture: Alamy
The pair had planned an overnight stop off in Benavente, before catching a ferry back to Portsmouth in the UK.
"The surgery he had had was lung surgery and he had been advised against flying following this," CNN Portugal reported.
"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."
According to reports in Spain he was in the car with his brother Andre Silva, also a professional footballer who played for a team in the Portuguese second division, when the car veered off the road and burst into flames.
The Lamborghini's tyre is believed to have blown out while overtaking on a section of the A-52 near the town of Cernadilla, close to the border with Portugal.
3rd July 2025; Molineux, Wolverhampton, England, tributes to Diogo Jota; Fans lay tributes outside Molineux Stadium to former player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva who died in a car crash earlier today
3rd July 2025; Molineux, Wolverhampton, England, tributes to Diogo Jota; Fans lay tributes outside Molineux Stadium to former player Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva who died in a car crash earlier today. Picture: Alamy
He is understood to have been on the road with his brother heading to Santander to catch a ferry to the UK on a route heading out of the port of Santander.
The Liverpool squad members was due to return to the club's Melwood training ground for the start of pre-season training on Tuesday.
The first friendly was due to be against Preston North End on Sunday, July 13.
It comes as mourners are set to gather to honour Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota at a wake in Portugal, ahead of a formal funeral on Saturday.
Jose Manuel Macedo, parish priest at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in Sao Cosme, told PA that a wake for the brothers will take place at 8am at the nearby Capela da Ressurreicao before their funeral at the Igreja Matriz on Saturday at 10am.