Liverpool and Portugal international footballer Diogo Jota tragically died alongside his younger brother, André Silva, in a devastating car crash in northern Spain during the early hours of Wednesday morning.
The 28-year-old forward was travelling with his 26-year-old brother from Portugal to the Spanish port city of Santander, where they planned to board a ferry to the UK.
The siblings opted for the overland journey instead of flying, following medical advice related to recent lung surgery Jota had undergone.
Medics had warned him against air travel due to potential complications from the procedure.
According to CNN Portugal, the footballer’s decision to avoid flying was based on direct medical counsel.
The station’s sports editor confirmed live on air:
The surgery he had was lung surgery, and he had been advised against flying afterward. He was heading to Santander to board a ferry to the UK and then continue the journey to Liverpool by car. He was travelling with his brother.
Fellow Portuguese journalist Victor Pinto echoed the report on CMTV, stating:
Diogo Jota sometimes chose to travel by road due to recurring pulmonary discomfort—not serious, but enough to warrant caution. As we know, there’s a ferry route connecting northern Spain to southern England, which he occasionally used.
Jota, who had just married his long-time partner Rute Cardoso two weeks prior in Porto, was expected to return to Liverpool this week ahead of the club’s pre-season training, scheduled to begin Monday.
His sudden death has sent shockwaves through the footballing world, with tributes pouring in from clubs, teammates, and fans.
The accident occurred around 12:35 a.m. near Cernadilla, a municipality in the province of Zamora, northwestern Spain—just over the border from Portugal.
The pair were travelling in a Lamborghini Urus, a luxury SUV reportedly worth around £150,000.
Spanish authorities say the vehicle was overtaking another car on the A-52 motorway when one of its tyres blew out, causing the driver to lose control.
The car veered off the road, rolled multiple times, and burst into flames, igniting nearby vegetation.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but both Diogo and André were pronounced dead at the site.
Police have yet to determine which of the two brothers was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.
Firefighters from the Zamora Provincial Council and medical teams from the Mombuey Health Center were deployed, but were unable to save either occupant.
A statement from Castilla y León’s emergency services confirmed the fatal incident and described the fire that engulfed the vehicle and surrounding area.
