Tributes have poured in at Anfield and on social media from fans, players and managers.
17:38, 04 Jul 2025
An image of a dark-haired man wearing a red Liverpool football strip, running across the pitch.
The main funeral service is to take place in a Catholic church in northern Portugal on Saturday morning.(Image: Getty Images)
Funeral proceedings for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva have begun following their tragic deaths in a car crash in Spain yesterday morning.
On Friday, July 4, family members and Jota's wife Rute attended a private wake at Sao Cosme Chapel, with the main service taking place at 10am on July 5 at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar Catholic church.
It is not yet known whether the family will request privacy for the service, but Portuguese president Marcelo de Sousa has confirmed he will be attending.
Jota began his football career at a club in Gondomar, around 30 minutes from Porto, and it is believed he also met his wife there when they were teenagers, the Mirror reports. The couple had only tied the knot less than two weeks before he died.
An image of flowers, balloons and football scarves laid on the ground as crowds of people look on.
Crowds of fans left tributes outside Anfield.(Image: AP)
The brothers died in the early hours of Thursday morning when the Lamborghini they were travelling in had a suspected tyre blowout and burst into flames near Zamora, north-western Spain. They were heading to Santander to take a ferry to the UK after Jota was advised not to fly following a lung operation.
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Tributes to the pair flooded in throughout Thursday, with former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, current boss Arne Slot and club legend Kenny Dalglish, as well as Jota's Reds teammates issuing statements following the tragedy.
Alexis Mac Allister shared on Instagram: "I can't believe it. I will always remember your smiles, your anger, your intelligence, your companionship and everything that made you a person. It hurts a lot, we will miss you. Rest in peace dear Diogo."
Dominik Szoboszlai wrote: "Words cannot describe how heartbroken and devastated we are... Your smile, your love for the game will never be forgotten. We will miss you so much, but you will stay with us forever, on and off the pitch. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family. Rest in peace, brother."
Liverpool defender and Scotland captain Andy Robertson penned a lengthy heartfelt tribute of his own. He said: "The ones I'm thinking about most right now are the family. Their loss is too much to bear. I'm so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls - Diogo and Andre.
"For the team and the Club, we'll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now.
"It's the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I've ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I'd try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.
"We'd watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight - one of the best we had. The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day.
"How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family."I can't believe we're saying goodbye. It's too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate - and for making it better. Love you, Diogo."
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Fans have also visited Anfield in droves to pay their own respects. The club have opened both physical and digital books of condolence for supporters to leave messages.
Flags at the stadium have been lowered to half mast, with Liverpool stores, museums and tours suspended until Monday. Club staff have also been offered support for their wellbeing.