The funeral of footballers Diogo Jota and his brother has been held, two days after the siblings died in a car crash in Spain, with family and friends joined by players and staff from Jota’s Premier League club, Liverpool.
Saturday’s service was held at Igreja Matriz church in the Portuguese town of Gondomar, where Jota had a home.
Portugal’s national team coach Roberto Martinez and several top Portuguese players also attended, including Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes.
Among the mourners, Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk arrived carrying a red floral arrangement in the shape of a football shirt with Jota’s No 20 in white. His teammate Andrew Robertson carried a similar arrangement with the No 30, the number worn by Jota’s brother, Andre Silva, who played for Portuguese club Penafiel.
Jota, 28, and his brother, Silva, 25, were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain early on Thursday after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed on an isolated stretch of highway just after midnight 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 Liverpool after a summer break.
Cause of crash unclear
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 tyre.
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 longtime partner Rute Cardoso while on holiday 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 in nearby Gondomar. Silva played in Portugal’s lower divisions.
Their loss has led to an outpouring of grief and condolences from the football world and Portuguese officials.
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