Diego Jota's crash scene7 photos
Photo: La Resistencia | Facebook
Diego Jota's crash sceneDiego Jota's crash sceneDiego Jota's crash sceneDiego Jota's crash sceneDiego Jota's crash sceneDiego Jota's crash scene
Diogo Jota was on his way to catch the ferry boat to England when a tire on his Lamborghini blew out, causing the car to veer off the road and go up in flames. He was to start pre-season training, due to commence next Monday. The tragic event sent shockwaves through the world of soccer. The striker was reportedly advised to avoid traveling by plane.
Liverpool FC striker usually traveled by plane from his home country, Portugal, to the UK. This time, however, doctors advised him to avoid flying after he had undergone a minor lung surgery to solve a medical issue that he had been struggling with the entire season.
The issue might have been connected to a rib injury sustained after colliding with Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo on October 22. Diogo Jota missed 18 games in total after the incindent.
Jota reportedly needed a longer recovery period. The flight would have caused too much pressure on his lungs and led to pulmonary discomfort, as Portuguese journalist Victor Pinto explained for Correio de Manha TV. That was why he decided to go back to England by car for pre-season training.
He had completed the same trip by car about three weeks ago for his wedding. Diogo Jota married his childhood sweetheart, Rute Carodoso, the mother of his three children, on June 22 in Porto.
Diogo and his brother Andre were traveling in a Lamborghini on a highway near Zamora in northwestern Spain, when a tire of their car blew out at high speed during an overtaking maneuver, bounced into another vehicle, careered off the road and lit up like a fireball.
Diego Jota's crash scene
Photo: La Resistencia | Facebook
CNN reported that the two brothers were rushing to catch the ferry that would have taken them from the port city of Santander in northern Spain to the southern UK. Once they reached British soil, they would have continued their trip to Liverpool by car. However, they never made it.
By the time paramedics arrived at the scene, the car was already completely burned, and there was nothing they could do for Diogo and his brother.
The first reports from the scene referred to a Lamborghini Aventador involved in the accident. However, the Spanish media also mentioned a Huracan and an Urus. What is left of the car and the low-resolution footage from the scene are irrelevant in determining the actual model. Spanish authorities are investigating the case.
Diogo Jota had been playing for Liverpool since 2020. He scored 65 goals in 182 games. He also had 50 caps for the national team of Portugal, where he won the Nations League just last month, playing alongside Cristiano Ronaldo. The soccer star paid homage to his deceased teammate with an Instagram post, saying, "It doesn't make sense."