Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has died in a devastating car accident in northwestern Spain, according to multiple sources in Portugal and Spain. His brother, Andre Jota, also perished in the crash.
The fatal incident reportedly occurred late Tuesday along a stretch of the A-52 highway in the Zamora province, near the town of Cernadilla, roughly 70 miles west of Valladolid.
The siblings were travelling in a Lamborghini when the vehicle veered off the road, overturned, and caught fire. Local media reports suggest a tyre may have blown out while the car was overtaking.
Emergency responders from the Castilla y León region were dispatched following multiple distress calls. Authorities later confirmed that both occupants of the vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.
“Emergency medical personnel and local fire units responded quickly, but sadly, there was nothing that could be done,” read a statement from the Castilla y León emergency coordination centre.
Jota, 28, had recently celebrated his wedding to longtime partner Rute Cardoso in a private ceremony held in Porto. The couple shared three children. Just days before the crash, he described himself as “the luckiest man alive” in an interview about his new chapter.
Confirmation of the Liverpool player’s death came from Portuguese Football Federation President Pedro Proença, who expressed “profound sorrow” over the sudden loss of one of the country’s most gifted talents.
