Liverpool and Portugal legend Diogo Jota tragically passed away on July 3 alongside his brother Andre while the pair were driving through Spain, prompting an international outpouring of grief
23:16, 04 Jul 2025
Childhood neighbours of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre recall watching them learn to play the game on a caged concrete pitch near his family's modest flat.
Jota grew up in home, on the bottom floor of a two-storey block, in the Portuguese town of Gondomar, near Porto. Former neighbour Raquel Bessa said: "We remember Diogo. The ball was always here, they would play against each other, one in goal, one taking the shots.
"Diogo would be more shy and Andre more talkative and active. They used to play with my nieces. Early on we started to understand he was good, we would hear people saying he’s good. They are lovely people."
diogo jota
The people who watched Diogo Jota grow up have fondly remembered him(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Raquel said Jota's grandfather still lives in an adjacent property and had gone to support the rest of the family, but she said he had been left "speechless" after the tragedy.
It comes as a former primary school teacher of Jota and his brother Andre has described them as "special".
Article continues below
Despite not teaching the pair for two decades, Elsa Santos recalls both had a talent for maths, as well as football, and said: “I never forgot those two boys. They were special.
he concrete football pitch he first played football on
The concrete football pitch Diogo first played football on(Image: Phil Harris)
“They always applied themselves, their parents were very concerned. I was Diogo’s teacher 20 years ago, from the second to the fourth grade.
"When I met him, he was seven years old. He was always a responsible and studious person. His grades were very good and there was never any need to call him out and I can say the same about André!".
Diogo Jota with his brother, André Silva, who plays for FC Porto's Junior B team.
Diogo tragically passed away alongside his brother Andre(Image: FACEBOOK)
Speaking about their parents Joaquim, a metalworker, and Isabel, who worked in a car wiring assembly plant, she said: "They were lucky to have wonderful parents. What happened is so sad; it must be so painful for those parents.
"They were always so interested in their children’s academic progress. They did everything they could to give their children the best, so that they would lack nothing."
Photo shows the family complex where he grew up and the concrete football pitch he first played football on
The family complex Diogo grew up on(Image: Phil Harris)
The funeral services for Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, are set to take place at 10am on Saturday (July 5) it has been confirmed. The services will take place in Gondomar, a town located a 30-minute drive inland from Porto, northern Portugal.
Article continues below
Throughout Thursday, tributes poured in from the football community, including former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, club legend Sir Kenny Dalglish, and current Reds boss Arne Slot, all of whom issued statements following the tragic passing of the brothers near Zamora, northwestern Spain. Jota's Liverpool teammates also paid their respects.