Cristiano Ronaldo devastated as former teammate dies weeks after dream wedding – We Got This Covered

In a heartbreaking turn of events, Portuguese soccer star Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother André Filipe died in a car accident in Spain early Thursday morning. The terrible crash happened less than two weeks after Jota married Rute Cardoso. The news has shocked the global football community, with teammates, clubs, and fans all sharing their grief and paying tribute.

AP and NY Times reported that the accident happened around 12:30 AM. Thursday on the A-52 highway near Cernadilla, a town in northern Spain close to the Portuguese border. According to Spain’s Guardia Civil, a car, later identified as a Lamborghini, went off the road and caught fire. Early reports suggest the car had a tire blowout while passing another vehicle. Both Diogo Jota and his brother André Filipe died at the scene. Photos and videos from Spanish news outlets show a badly burned and wrecked Lamborghini on the side of the road.

Diogo Jota, whose full name is Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, was born in Porto, Portugal, on December 4, 1996, and had a successful career in professional soccer. He started in youth and professional leagues in Portugal and Spain before moving to the English club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. in 2017. His strong performances earned him a major transfer to Liverpool F.C. in 2020 for 40 million British pounds (about 50 million USD). Jota quickly became a key player for Liverpool, helping them win the Premier League in the 2024 to 25 season, where he scored six goals in 26 league games.

Liverpool soccer star killed in car accident

The football world has reacted with deep sadness. Liverpool Football Club released a statement saying they were devastated by the “unfathomable loss” of Diogo Jota. Fans, including supporters of rival teams, left flowers, jerseys, and scarves as tributes outside Anfield, Liverpool’s stadium, on Thursday morning, many referencing the club’s famous motto, “You’ll never walk alone.” Liverpool’s town hall flew its flag at half-staff in mourning.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota’s rich teammate on the Portuguese national team, shared his deep sadness on X. Ronaldo is no stranger to losing loved ones, and called the tragedy senseless, especially since Jota had just gotten married. Translating the post to english reads, “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you had gotten married. To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you.”

The council of Zamora, where the crash happened, confirmed that firefighters were sent to put out the car fire, which had spread to nearby plants. Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro also shared his condolences, calling Jota an athlete who made Portugal proud.

His post translates to “The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honored Portugal’s name, and his brother is unexpected and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to their family. It is a sad day for football and for national and international sports.”

The tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and André Filipe are a huge loss for their families, friends, and the entire international soccer community, leaving a gap that will be felt for a long time.

Over five seasons with Liverpool, Diogo Jota scored 65 goals in 182 matches, including the winning goal in the Merseyside derby against Everton in April, a goal that helped secure the team’s league title. Besides his success at the club level, Jota was an important player for Portugal’s national team, playing 49 times since 2019 and scoring 24 goals.

His last game was Portugal’s win over Spain in the UEFA Nations League final on June 8. He was also known for his skill in soccer video games, especially the FIFA and Football Manager series. In 2021, he reached the number one spot on the FIFA Ultimate Team Champions leaderboard and owned his own gaming team, LUNA Esports.

His brother, André Filipe, was also a professional soccer player, working as a midfielder for Penafiel in Portugal’s second division, a team he joined in 2023. He had previously played for Porto’s youth teams.