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07/05/25 04:04:00
Printable Page
07/05 04:02 CDT Liverpool players join family of Diogo Jota and his brother for
funeral held in Portugal
Liverpool players join family of Diogo Jota and his brother for funeral held in
Portugal
By JOSEPH WILSON and MANU FERNANDEZ
Associated Press
GONDOMAR, Portugal (AP) --- Liverpool players joined family and friends for the
funeral of their teammate Diogo Jota and his brother on Saturday, two days
after the siblings died in a car crash in Spain.
The service will be held at Igreja Matriz church in the Portuguese town of
Gondomar, where Jota had a home.
Portugal's national team coach Roberto Martnez and several top Portuguese
players also attended, including Manchester City duo Bernardo Silva and Rben
Dias and Manchester United's Bruno Fernndes.
Jota, 28, and his brother, Andr Silva, 25, were found dead near Zamora in
northwestern Spain early Thursday after the Lamborghini they were driving
crashed on an isolated stretch of highway just after midnight on Thursday and
burst into flames.
The brothers were reportedly heading to catch a boat from northern Spain to go
to England where Jota was to rejoin with Liverpool after a summer break.
Spanish police are investigating the cause of the crash, which did not involve
another vehicle, they said. They said they believe it could have been caused by
a blown tire.
Their bodies were repatriated to Portugal after being identified by the family.
A wake was held for them on Friday.
Jota's death occurred two weeks after he married long-time partner Rute Cardoso
while on vacation from a long season where he helped Liverpool win the Premier
League. The couple had three children, the youngest born last year.
Jota was born in Porto but started his playing career as a child on nearby
Gondomar.
Silva played for Portuguese club Penafiel in the lower divisions.
Their loss led to an outpouring of condolences from the soccer world and
Portuguese officials.
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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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