Liverpool Footballer Diogo Jota died in a car accident with his brother; wife asked to identify the bodies

New Delhi (India) July 4: Diogo Jota, a forward for Liverpool and Portugal and his younger brother, Andre Silva tragically died on Thursday in a deadly car accident in Zamora, Spain. The football community has been shocked by the unfortunate incident and many people have voiced their sorrow over his untimely death. The incident happened just a few days after Jota married Rute Cardoso, his longtime partner.

Zamora’s Provincial Council said, “Two young people die in an accident on the A-52 (Palacios de Sanabria). The Rionegro del Puente Fire Station (Northern Zone of the @DiputacionZA Consortium) responds,” in an official statement.

The incident took place close to the town of Cernadilla in Zamora at approximately 12:30 a.m. local time. André Silva, Jota's brother and a professional soccer player, also died in the accident.

The Guardia Civil in Spain stated that a "burst tire while overtaking" was most likely the cause of the collision. The car, which was a Lamborghini, "caught fire and both occupants died." The Government Sub-delegation in Zamora informed that the crash is being looked into as "a possible speeding incident."

An official for the Civil Guard in Zamora said, “The investigation into the crash is being carried out by Civil Guard traffic officers. We believe the car suffered a blowout from the marks on the road. The full police report once it is completed will be submitted to a duty court in Zamora which has launched an ongoing judicial investigation into this crash. That report is going to take time to complete, probably about four or five days but possibly longer. At this moment in time it is impossible to say at exactly what speed the car was going but that is something the Civil Guard investigators will be able to detail at least approximately in their final report from things like the skid marks. What I can confirm is that no other vehicle was involved and no-one else was hurt" in a statement.

Rute, Jota's wife, was asked to identify both dead after the terrible accident. Cardoso was brought in to verify the identification of the two after the police failed to identify them from the car's registration plate.

Reports from Portugal state that Cardoso informed police about the two brothers' plans to spend the night in Benavente, then continue their journey on Thursday.

During the 2024–2025 season, Jota's career took off as he helped Liverpool win the Premier League.

Liverpool released a statement after announcing Jota's death, expressing their "devastated" feelings over the "unimaginable loss." The statement said that they would not comment further to protect the privacy of the brothers' friends, family, teammates and club employees.

Jota was an attacker who contributed significantly to Liverpool's most recent championship run. He won two Nations League championships with Portugal and three major trophies with the Reds.

Aadrika Tayal