What Happened To Diogo Jota? Liverpool Star Passes Away

Liverpool forward Diogo Jota was one of the most hardworking and energetic players in their front line, playing a key role in their 2024/25 Premier League title win. It's now been confirmed by the Portugal national team's social media handles that Jota, along with his brother Andre Silva, have tragically passed away at the age of 28 after being involved in a fatal car accident in Spain. The Diogo Jota news is shocking and alarming, as the footballer was one of the best strikers currently in Europe.

He was holidaying in the country amid the off-season, and this shocking news rocked the entire football community, bringing a sense of mourning for the deceased Portugal international. UEFA have also announced that a moment of silence will be observed at all of today’s and tomorrow’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 games in memory of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who passed away today in a shocking car accident.

What Happened To Liverpool Star Diogo Jota?

It was initially reported by Marca that Jota passed away in the early hours of Thursday (July 3, 2025) after being involved in a traffic accident in the province of Zamora, Spain. Diogo Jota Car Accident occurred at the Autovia A-52 highway in Northwestern Spain, as Jota was travelling in his car with his brother, who also passed away in the accident. His brother Andre, 26, was also a former professional footballer who played for Liga Portugal 2 side Penefiel. The accident allegedly occurred when their vehicle went off the road, which caused a fire that they couldn't get out of. Diogo Jota Accident is very unfortunate and a great loss for the footballing world.

Marca have claimed witnesses who state that the car was engulfed in flames after the accident. It's even being claimed that one of the car's tires must have burst, which caused it to lose control and go off the road before bursting into flames. The official Provincial Council of Zamora has confirmed that two people the aged 28 and 26, have passed away in the accident. Liverpool have made an official statement on the incident on their website.

Jota had gotten married to his partner Rute Cardoso on June 22, just 10 days before his accident. He also shared three children with Cardoso, being with her for a long time and sharing a large part of his football journey with her by his side. The Portuguese Football Federation has also made an official statement about the tragic incident.

Diogo Jota Funeral Date & Place

Diogo Jota's funeral has been scheduled for July 4, 2025. The event will take place at 3 PM local time, São Cosme, in his home city of Porto. At the same location, Diogo Jota married his childhood sweetheart, Rute, just a few days ago. Jota was on his way to Granada to take a ferry to the UK as he was instructed not to fly due to lung surgery.

Liverpool Retires Diogo Jota's No. 20 Jersey After His Tragic Death

In a heartwarming tribute to late Diogo Jota, Liverpool FC decided to immortalise his iconic No. 20 jersey. The Premier League club shared in a social media statement, “The No.20 will be rightly immortalised for his contributions as part of Liverpool’s 2024-25 title-winners – the club’s 20th – with his trademark shimmy and strike in front of the Kop to seal victory in April’s Merseyside derby a poignant last goal of his life.” Notably, the 2024-25 Premier League title also marked Liverpool's 20th victory at the English top tier.

Diogo Jota Car Crash: New Details Revealed

Following the initial investigation, Spanish police believe Diogo Jota was driving the car which faced a fatal accident, leading to the death of the Liverpool star and his brother, Andre Silva. The police also suspect that the car exceeded the speed limit on the highway (A-52 motorway in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora) before the unfortunate accident. Evidence suggests that a tyre burst while overtaking resulted in the fire, as per Sky Sports.

“The expert report is being prepared and finalised. Among other things, the marks left by one of the vehicle's wheels are being examined. All the evidence so far indicates that the driver of the crashed vehicle was Diogo Jota. The expert report is not yet complete, but as it is subject to judicial review, it will be submitted to the Puebla de Sanabria court,” the Civil Guard in Zamora shared in a statement.

A Look Back at Diogo Jota's Career

Diogo Jota embodied a hard-working nature throughout his career and fought his way to playing at the very top of European football. He began his career at Portuguese Liga 2 club Pacos de Ferreira, making his senior debut for them at the age of 19. Jota made over 40 appearances for them, with his impressive performances earning him a move to Atletico Madrid in 2016. However, he failed to make an impact for Los Rojiblancos and was sent out on loan to FC Porto (2017/18) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (2017/18).

It was Wolves who signed him permanently in 2018, with the Portuguese star impressing with his unpredictable style in the Premier League. Jota spent three years at Wolves, scoring 44 goals and providing 19 assists in 131 games for the Premier League side.

He earned a major transfer to Liverpool in 2020, joining them for a rumored fee of over £40 million. Jota became a fan favorite at Liverpool because of his hard-working nature and clinical aspect in front of the goal. He won the Premier League title, the FA Cup, and the Carabao Cup with the Reds, also finishing as runners-up in the 2021/22 Premier League. He made 182 appearances for Liverpool, scoring 65 goals and providing 26 assists. Jota also had a decorated international career, winning the UEFA Nations League title twice with them and scoring 14 goals in 49 appearances for Portugal.