Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota has died at the age of 28.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva, also a professional footballer who played for Penafiel, died after a car in which they were travelling crashed in Zamora, Spain.
It is now understood that Jota was on his way to take a ferry upon his return for pre-season training with Liverpool. After recently undergoing lung surgery, doctors had advised him against flying.
Footage from the crash site showed police blocking a two-lane highway as one officer examined the charred remains of the car that had flipped over and ended up on the central verge.
In a statement to the BBC, Spanish law enforcement agency the Guardia Civil said: "The information we have so far is that the car, which was a Lamborghini, was in a road traffic accident and left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking.
"It was in the early hours, 00:30 BST, in the municipality of Cernadilla in the province of Zamora.
"The car caught on fire and the two occupants were killed."
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
A statement from the Portuguese Football Federation read: "The Portuguese Football Federation and the entire Portuguese football community are devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva in Spain this morning.
"Diogo Jota was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person who was respected by all his team-mates and opponents. He had a contagious joy and was a reference point in his own community.
"On behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation and myself, I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of Diogo and Andre as well as Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the respective clubs of the players.
"We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day."
The accident came less than two weeks after Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso. The couple have three children together.
Jota had 49 caps for Portugal, scoring 14 international goals, and last month won the Nations League for a second time.
He signed for Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club, with nine of those goals coming last season as Arne Slot's side won the Premier League title.
Jota also lifted the FA Cup and Carabao Cup with Liverpool, and was a Champions League runner-up in 2022.
Jota first came to English football when he joined Wolves in the summer of 2017, initially on loan from Atletico Madrid before the deal was made permanent the following summer.
Jota helped Wolves earn promotion as Championship winners in his first season, and in all scored 44 goals in 131 appearances before joining Liverpool.
He began his career with Pacos de Ferreira in his native Portugal before earning a move to Atletico Madrid as a 19-year-old.
However, he never played for the La Liga club, first joining Porto on loan before moving to Molineux where he played under his compatriot Nuno Espirito Santo.
Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 3, 2025
Liverpool say they are "devastated" at the "unimaginable loss" of their player.
"Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota," said a statement.
"The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.
"Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, team-mates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.
"We will continue to provide them with our full support."
