Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva have been laid to rest at a service in Portugal on Saturday morning.
Former team-mates carry the coffins during the funerals of Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva at the Mother Church of Gondomar, July 5, 2025
Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva have been laid to rest at a service in Portugal on Saturday morning.
A funeral took place for the Liverpool striker and his younger sibling at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar (the Mother Church of Gondomar) at 10am and was attended by a large contingent from the club, including captain Virgil van Dijk, Andy Roberson and Darwin Nunez.
Alexis Mac Allister, Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley were also three more who were present alongside Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and head coach Arne Slot. Sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO of football Michael Edwards were in attendance.
Robertson, a close friend of Jota, and Van Dijk were seen carrying floral tributes to the club's No.20 and his 25-year-old brother shortly before the service got underway.
The Reds players were joined by former colleagues Caoimhin Kelleher, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Fabinho, who was at Friday's wake alongside Manchester City duo Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias, who were Portugal international colleagues of Jota.
Rute Cardoso, who married her long-term partner less than two weeks ago, was in attendance with their three children and the two players' parents Joaquim and Isabel Silva.
Thiago Alcantara, who joined the club at the same time as Jota, in September 2020, was at the service with his wife, Julia.
Hundreds more gathered to pay their respects to the popular forward and his bother, who played for second-tier side Penafiel, and while only family and friends were permitted inside the church on the day, a livestream of the service was available for the public.
Jose Manuel Macedo, parish priest at Igreja Matriz, said in the eulogy: "Our faith in God is going to give a new life to these two deceased young men. We must have faith and hope and we have to believe in resurrection, in a new life. Those who believe, they will live eternally.
"I could say a lot about Diogo and Andre, their father prayed in the church and both Diogo and Andre made it [as professional footballers] because of their effort, their dedication, their sacrifices. They were very respectful to others, both local fathers and quiet and dedicated to their families.
"Extraordinary people, they were. That is why so many people are here. Two responsible, serious men of faith, known all over the world because of sport.
"They were very skilled football players, particularly Diogo and in their case, this church did a lot to promote their sports. Football brings people together and builds bridges between different people when it is done with honesty, values, discipline, team work, no ego, respect, peace and understanding. These are the values of sports.
"We are speaking to you (Jota's children) because we are so sad to see children crying when this is the reason. But our friend Jesus said those who aren't sensitive will not be in heaven.
"I would like to express my support to your mother, your family and Jesus is here to help us. Your father and uncle are beside Jesus in this new life, in peace. May Jesus comfort you with faith and hope."
Arne Slot arrives with players and coaching staff at a funeral held for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar on July 05, 2025 in Gondomar
The hour-long service came to an end with the hymn Ave Maria as well-wishers congregated outside the church to pay their final tributes to the brothers. A more private service for the family was then held after the 10am service.
Al-Hilal pair Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo, who were visibly distraught during a minute's silence for Jota at their Club World Cup clash with Brazil side Fluminense on Friday evening, were also at the service, despite playing in the United States a little over 12 hours earlier.
Liverpool were represented at Friday's wake by their sporting director Hughes and his assistant, David Woodfine, while a delegation from Fenway Sports Group were also present, including Edwards and technical directors Julian Ward and Pedro Marques.
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Luis Montenegro both attended as the country continued to come to terms with the loss of a national hero who played an important role in the Seleccao's UEFA Nations League triumph last month.
The wake, which was held at Capelas da Ressurreicao (Chapels of the Resurrection) church, in the Fontainhas neighborhood, was visited by former Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur boss Andre Villas-Boas, Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot and Joao Moutinho, who played with Jota during their time at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Jota and his brother were repatriated on Thursday evening across the Iberian border after their bodies were released from the Institute of Legal Medicine in Zamora. Their fatal car accident occured in northern Spain shortly after midnight on July 3.
The incident happened on the A52, known as Palacios de Sanabria, near the city of Zamora, and was reportedly the result of a burst tyre as Jota and Andre Silva were making their way towards a ferry that was bound for the UK ahead of a return to pre-season training.
According to claims in Portugal, Jota was travelling back to England via sea after being told not to fly after an operation on a collapsed lung.
Dr Miguel Goncalves, who said to have worked with Jota to correct the lung issue, told Record in Portugal: "I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8.30pm (on July 3)
"His brother was a great companion and decided to go with him, to accompany him on the trip, and that way they would also spend more time together. They were going to travel at night because it was cooler, but they weren’t going direct.
"He told me that the journey would take about eight hours, but that they would stop at a hotel in the Burgos area to rest. Diogo was very aware of his professionalism. They were only supposed to arrive in Santander today, catch the boat and then go to England.
"The family would arrive later by plane, organize their lives over the weekend and then, on Monday, they had a medical appointment scheduled in Liverpool to assess the situation."
"I started working with him last Saturday and I was with him every day until this Wednesday. I said goodbye to him at dinner time. "He made an extraordinary recovery, he was undoubtedly an unparalleled professional. He strictly followed what I told him, as you could see in the way he was recovering.
"The base of his right lung had collapsed a little, but with the post-surgery physiotherapy he was practically flawless. When I left him yesterday he was no longer in pain and was going to return to Liverpool.
"He was excited, confident in his recovery and enthusiastic about the next season. He told me that he would not go on the pre-season tour that Liverpool is going to Japan to strengthen his recovery, he believed he was going to have a great season."
Jota was scheduled to return to pre-season training next week when Slot and his players reconvened to the AXA Centre to kickstart their summer schedule. Some of the squad had been slated to head back on Friday but a phased return but those plans were postponed following the death of the 28-year-old.
Tributes have been pouring in for Jota since news of his death was made public on Thursday morning with Cristiano Ronaldo, Sir Kenny Dalglish and Jurgen Klopp three of those who took to social media to offer their condolences.
Reds boss Slot said: "What to say? What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words but I know I do not.
“All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about.
“My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss.
“My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone. The players, the staff, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club are all with you and from what I have seen today, the same can be said of the wider family of football.
“This is not solely a response to tragedy. It is also a reaction to the goodness of the people involved and the respect that so many have for the boys as individuals and for the family as a whole.
“For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special.
“I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it. Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals. The essence of what a Liverpool player should be.
“There were also the parts that not everyone got to see. The person who never sought popularity but found it anyway. Not a friend to two people, a friend to everyone. Someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family.
“The last time we spoke, I congratulated Diogo on winning the Nations League and wished him luck for his forthcoming wedding. In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this.
“When the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and we will sing his song. For the time being, we will remember him as a unique human being and mourn his loss. He will never be forgotten. His name is Diogo.”
On Friday night the reunion tour of rock band Oasis - their first show in 16 years - also paid tribute, with an image of Jota in his No.20 Liverpool shirt visible during the band's performance of hit Live Forever.