Gondomar, Portugal. Liverpool players joined the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother for their funeral on Saturday, two days after the siblings died in a car crash in Spain.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk arrived carrying a red floral arrangement shaped like a soccer shirt with Jota’s No. 20 in white. Teammate Andrew Robertson carried a similar arrangement with the No. 30, the number worn by Jota’s brother, André Silva, who played for Portuguese club Penafiel. Connor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, and former Liverpool players Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, and Caoimhin Kelleher also attended the funeral.
The service was held at Igreja Matriz church in the Portuguese town of Gondomar, where Jota had a home. Church bells rang at 11 a.m. as the funeral began, with pallbearers carrying the caskets of both brothers from a nearby chapel into the church. Relatives, hundreds of friends, and acquaintances followed, including players from local club Gondomar FC, where Jota began playing at age 9.
Portugal national team coach Roberto Martínez attended, along with top Portuguese players including Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, as well as Al Hilal's Ruben Neves, who flew from the US after a Club World Cup Match. FC Porto president Andre Villas-Boas also paid tribute to Jota and Silva.
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Jota, 28, and Silva, 25, were found dead early Thursday near Zamora in northwestern Spain after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed on an isolated highway stretch just after midnight and burst into flames. The brothers were reportedly en route to catch a boat from northern Spain to England, where Jota was to rejoin Liverpool following a summer break.
Spanish police said the crash did not involve another vehicle and that a blown tire may have caused the accident.
After the family identified the bodies, they were repatriated to Portugal, with a wake held on Friday.
Jota’s death came two weeks after he married his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, during a vacation following a season in which he helped Liverpool win the Premier League. The couple had three children, the youngest born last year.
Their deaths have led to an outpouring of condolences from the soccer world and Portuguese officials.
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