By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: 05:29 EDT, 4 July 2025 | Updated: 05:29 EDT, 4 July 2025
GONDOMAR, Portugal (AP) - Family and friends of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother are gathering Friday at a church where their bodies have been brought for a wake and funeral, after the Portuguese soccer players were killed in a car crash in Spain.
Some hugged and wept before entering the Capela da Ressurreição São Cosme, where the funeral for the siblings is planned for Saturday.
Jota, 28, and his 25-year-old brother, André Silva, were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed on an isolated stretch of highway just after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames.
Their bodies were repatriated to Portugal after being identified by the family, Spanish government officials said.
Jota and his parents both have homes in Gondomar, where he started his playing career as a child. Gondomar is a working-class town next to Porto, where Jota was born.
Jota´s death occurred two weeks after he married long-time partner Rute Cardoso while on vacation from a long season where he helped Liverpool win the Premier League title. The couple had three children, the youngest born last year.
A woman at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport in Madrid, reads a newspaper showing on its front page the car involved in the crash in which Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother died in the north-western city of Zamora, Spain, Friday, July 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spanish police are investigating the cause of the crash, which did not involve another vehicle, they said.
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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Portugal's players hold a banner with the words "Thank you for everything. Rest in peace." for Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota who died in a car accident in Spain, after the Euro 2025, group B, soccer match between Spain and Portugal at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (Peter Klaunzer/Keystone via AP)
A fan holds a sign with the Portuguese word "Eternal" in memory of Portuguese international footballer Diogo Jota, who lost his life in a car crash in Spain, before the Euro 2025, group B, soccer match between Spain and Portugal at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
The site of the car accident in which Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother died in the north-western city of Zamora, Spain, Thursday, July 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Emilio Fraile)