Liverpool star Diogo Jota died in a car crash earlier this week and now Porto president Andre Villas-Boas has paid tribute to the forward, hailing him as a 'silent hero of a generation'
17:52, 04 Jul 2025
André Villas-Boas, the president of Porto, has paid a heartfelt tribute to Liverpool player Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away at the age of 28 in a car accident. Jota was travelling with his brother, André Silva, in northern Spain on Thursday morning when their car was involved in a fatal crash.
According to reports, the accident occurred on the A52, near the city of Zamora, due to a blown-out tyre. The brothers were en route to a ferry bound for the UK, where Jota was set to return to pre-season training.
A wake for the brothers was held at Sao Cosme Chapel in Gondomar, near Porto, where Villas-Boas spoke to a reporter of our sister title, the Liverpool ECHO's Ryan Paton. The former Porto, Chelsea, and Tottenham manager expressed his condolences, saying: "First of all, on behalf of Porto and myself, condolences to the family and friends of Diogo and Andre.
"They are two big losses because everybody cherished them for what they were, what they represented - their principles and their values. I think, today we see a family is broken, of their dreams.
Porto FC President Andre Villas-Boas at the wake of Diogo Jota being held at Sao Cosme Chapel in the town of Gondomar near Porto
Andre Villas-Boas is now president of Porto after ending his managerial career(Image: PA Wire)
"His father, his wife, Andre's girlfriend, their sons - the pain must be unbearable for them and you can see how strongly they have been holding on to so much pain.
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"I think that is the first thing, the second thing is that Diogo was more of a public figure than Andre with his career. But he was a silent hero of a generation - a person that was an example as a player and a professional.
"On the pitch, he was a partner of FC Porto, who he supported. We have good and very fond memories of him and now it is the memories we have to hold onto.
"We pay respects to the family and of course to the clubs. Andre was with us for seven years in our youth academy, Diogo was only with us for one year but it was a lightning year where he scored a lot of goals and left a lot of good memories.
"Sincerely I hope the family can overcome so much pain, because it must be unbearable for all of them."
FRANKFURT, GERMANY - (ARCHIVE): A file photo dated July 1, 2024 shows Diogo Jota of Portugal being in action during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Portugal and Slovenia at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany. Jota died in a car crash at the age of 28 in Zamora, Spain, on 3 July 2025. (Photo by Hesham Elsherif/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Diogo Jota played 49 times for Portugal(Image: Hesham Elsherif/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jota, who clinched the Premier League title with the Reds last season before securing the UEFA Nations League in June with Portugal, tied the knot with long-term partner Rute Cardoso on June 22 in a ceremony graced by their three children.
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The forward transferred to Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020. He played 182 matches for the Reds, netting 65 times.
In addition to last year's Premier League, he bagged the FA Cup and League Cup during his stint at Anfield. Jota earned 49 caps for his country, scoring 14 goals.
Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes, who leads the Gestifute agency representing Jota, expressed: "We lost two great people. Diogo is an example as a person, husband, son, and professional. I still can't believe it, it's very difficult."