Former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, who would have turned 29 this Thursday, and his brother Andre Silva were tragically killed in a car crash in July
Liverpool's Portuguese striker #20 Diogo Jota (2L) celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Everton
The reason for Diogo Jota's fatal car crash came to light not long after his death
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It's been nearly six months since the tragic car accident that claimed the life of beloved Liverpool forward Diogo Jota. The former Portugal international and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed in the early hours of July 3, a journey they undertook because Jota was unable to fly due to a recent lung operation.
Jota, who would have turned 29 on Thursday, had tied the knot with wife Rute Cardoso just 11 days prior to the devastating incident. The football community was left reeling by the sudden loss of such a prominent Premier League figure, and the subsequent police investigation unveiled the grim circumstances surrounding his death.
The Lamborghini Huracan carrying Jota and his brother veered off the road and burst into flames. Following his lung surgery, Jota had been advised against flying and was driving to Santander.
From there, he and his brother intended to sail to England on an overnight ferry via Benavente, eventually docking in Portsmouth. However, the pair never arrived at their destination.
A police investigation concluded a tyre blowout occurred while Jota attempted to overtake another vehicle on the A-52, some 70 miles west of Valladolid. This led to their car careening off the road around 12.40am, quickly becoming engulfed in flames.
Firefighters, working alongside emergency services and the Civil Guard, managed to put out the fire. However, it was soon confirmed both occupants had tragically lost their lives shortly after the emergency services arrived at the scene.
General view of the crash site where Liverpool FC player Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva lost their lives, showing the wreckage of the Lamborghini Huracan at kilometre 65 of the A-52, near the town of Cernadilla, close to Zamora, Spain. The car crash occurred just after midnight on July 3, 2025
Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were driving in the former's Lamborghini Huracan when it veered off the road in Spain
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"The investigation into the crash is being carried out by Civil Guard traffic officers," read a statement from the Civil Guard in Zamora. "We believe the car suffered a blowout from the marks on the road. The full police report, once it is completed, will be submitted to a duty court in Zamora, which has launched an ongoing judicial investigation into this crash.
"That report is going to take time to complete, probably about four or five days, but possibly longer. At this moment in time, it is impossible to say exactly what speed the car was going, but that is something the Civil Guard investigators will be able to detail at least approximately in their final report from things like the skid marks. What I can confirm is that no other vehicle was involved and no one else was hurt."
Reports suggested the fire damage to the wreckage was so extensive that it initially hampered efforts to identify the two victims. In a devastating turn of events, it transpired that Jota's wife, Rute, had to identify the two men herself after police were unable to do so.
Discussing their altered travel arrangements following Jota's operation, CNN Portugal's Rui Laura explained: "The surgery he had had was lung surgery, and he had been advised against flying following this.
Photo of Diogo Jota and Rute Cardoso
Jota is survived by his wife, Rute, and three young children
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"He was on his way to the northern Spanish port city of Santander to cross the ferry and reach the UK that way and carry on with the car once he reached Britain. He was on his way to Liverpool with his brother."
Jota remained in Portugal after playing a crucial part in the team's penalty shootout triumph over Spain in the Nations League final on June 8. A few weeks later, he tied the knot with long-term partner Rute, the mother of their three young children.
Liverpool defender Andy Robertson and goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher (now at Brentford) were among the guests at Jota's wedding. However, what should have been a summer filled with happiness for Jota and his family unexpectedly took a tragic turn.