Liverpool’s Jota dies in car accident – less than two weeks after wedding

Diogo Jota, the Portugal national team and Liverpool FC attacker, has died following a car accident in the province of Zamora in Spain.

According to Spanish authorities, Andre Silva, the footballer’s younger brother, also died in the accident that happened in the early hours of Thursday.

The Lamborghini where the brothers were in had its tyre blown out while overtaking, and the car veered off the road.

“The car caught on fire and the two occupants were killed,” the Spanish Civil Guard said.

Jota was 28, and his brother, also a footballer with Penafiel in Portugal’s second division, was 25.

The fatal crash comes less than two weeks after his wedding to Rute Cardoso on 22 June 2025. The couple had been engaged since 2022.

Jota was born in Porto, Portugal, and was a product of the Pacos de Ferreira academy before joining Atlético Madrid in 2016.

He was then loaned to FC Porto from Atlético after a shaky spell. Wolverhampton Wanderers signed him in 2018, and that was where Jota’s career took off.

The Portuguese spent two years with Wolves before being signed by Liverpool in September 2020.

He won the English Premier League (EPL) with Liverpool, adding to his FA Cup and Carabao Cup titles. He was also in Portugal’s team that won the 2025 UEFA Nations League title in May.