The football community was shrouded in grief on Saturday as Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were laid to rest in Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, days after their tragic death in a car crash in Spain.

According to Sky Sports UK, Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, and close family were joined by Liverpool teammates, club officials, and prominent figures from Portugal’s national team at the funeral service held at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar.

The 27-year-old Jota and his brother died in the early hours of Thursday after their Lamborghini reportedly suffered a tyre blowout, veered off the road, and burst into flames. The incident occurred around 12:40 a.m. in Spain, and no other vehicles were involved. The tragedy struck just 11 days after Jota married his long-time partner, with whom he shares three young children.

The funeral drew hundreds of mourners, including Liverpool’s head coach Arne Slot, captain Virgil van Dijk, and first-team players Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Darwin Núñez, Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, Ryan Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo.

As the coffins of Jota and Silva were brought into the church, bells tolled, and the gathered crowd responded with applause and tears. Many mourners, visibly emotional, supported one another as they filed into the service.

Several players from Portugal’s national team also made the journey to pay their respects. Those present included Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), João Félix and Renato Veiga (Chelsea), Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Rui Patrício, João Moutinho, Rúben Neves, and former Liverpool midfielder Fabinho. Portugal national team coach Roberto Martínez and FC Porto president André Villas-Boas were also in attendance.

In a touching moment, Rúben Neves, who had just played in the Club World Cup quarterfinal for Al Hilal in Florida, flew in overnight to serve as a pallbearer for his late friend.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez described the loss as heartbreaking but praised the sense of unity it had brought.

“These have been really sad days, as you can imagine, but today we showed that we are a very large but very close family. We are Portugal. It was important for us to be together—for Andre Silva and Diogo Jota, and their spirit will be with us forever,” Martínez said. He added his thanks to fans and well-wishers from around the world for their support, describing the global response as “deeply meaningful.”

Bernardo Silva, in an emotional interview with Portuguese broadcaster TVI, paid a personal tribute to Jota, describing him as both an exceptional footballer and a cherished friend.

“I can’t begin to imagine the pain his family is going through—Rute, the children, his parents,” he said.
“His career speaks for itself, but what mattered most was who he was off the pitch. He was present at my wedding; unfortunately, I couldn’t attend his because I was at the Club World Cup. He was a close friend, a kind soul, and a teammate who will remain in our hearts forever.”

Silva said Jota would be remembered in every team gathering; from national call-ups to friendly card games.

Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. You’ll forever remain in the heart of the football family.