What we know about Diogo Jota's death in a car crash in Spain

Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother André, 26, died in the crash in northwest Spain on Thursday.

Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, known as Diogo Jota, was a Liverpool FC player since 2020 and a Portuguese international.

His brother André Felipe Silva was also a footballer, playing for Futebol Clube Penafiel, a team in the Portuguese second division.

Jota got married on June 22nd - ten days before his death - to his fiancée Rute Cardoso. He had three young children.

How did the news of his death break?

All of Spain’s main sports dailies, including Marca and As, initially reported the news.

Then Spain’s leading newspaper El País has also confirmed the tragic accident.

The provincial government of Zamora, where the accident took place, also tweeted out a message saying that “two young men have died in a car accident”. They have not named Diogo Jota and his brother Andre but they have confirmed their ages, 28 and 26.

Spanish police then also confirmed the death of the footballer.

Where and when did the accident happen?

The traffic accident reportedly took place on the A52 motorway in Cernadilla, in the province Zamora, in northwest Spain.

The Spanish city of Zamora is around 55 kilometres from the border with Portugal.

According to sources involved in the investigation, the two Portuguese brothers died aboard a Lamborghini that, for reasons under investigation, left the Rías Bajas motorway (A52) at kilometer 65, heading towards the town of Benavente, at around 12.40 am on Thursday July 3rd 2025.

What caused the accident?

Sources consulted by Spanish news agency EFE indicate that the car may have suffered a tire blowout while overtaking, causing it to leave the road and catch fire.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which spread to surrounding vegetation, and collaborated with emergency medical services and Spain’s Civil Guard police.

Medical services on the scene could only confirm the deaths of the two occupants of the vehicle.

According to the provincial government of Zamora, the bodies of the two occupants of the car are charred, and the Institute of Forensic Medicine is working to confirm their identities.

What has the reaction been?

Tributes to Jota began to pour in from the world of football, with many left devastated and shocked by his sudden death.

Pedro Proença, the president of the Portuguese FA, wrote on social media: “The Portuguese football federation and the entire Portuguese football community are completely devastated by the death of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, this morning in Spain.

"Much more than a fantastic player, who played almost 50 matches for the national A team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all his teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.

“On my behalf, and on behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation, I express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Diogo and André Silva, as well as to Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs where the players played respectively."