Jota, aged 28, and his younger brother André Silva, 26, tragically lost their lives in a car accident in the early hours of Thursday morning in northwestern Spain. ..Continue Reading
The Lamborghini they were traveling in reportedly suffered a tyre failure while overtaking another vehicle, causing it to veer off the road and burst into flames with both men still inside.
A wake is being held today in Jota’s hometown of Gondomar, located just outside Porto, with a funeral scheduled for Saturday.
Before rising to stardom in the Premier League with Wolves and Liverpool, Jota began his football journey at Gondomar SC, his local club.
He played there from the age of nine until 17, and in 2022, the club honored him by naming their academy after its most successful graduate.
Álvaro Cerqueira, the president of Gondomar SC, remained in regular contact with Jota and revealed that they spoke on the phone just hours before the fatal crash.
‘It was just after 10 pm last night, we were on the phone and he was fine,’ Cerqueira told Jornal de Noticias.
‘We spoke almost every week and I know I was going through a happy moment.’
Jota’s brother Andre also played for the local side and signed his first professional contract with Gondomar in 2021, playing for two years before he was signed by Penafiel.
The two would often return home and visit their old team and to keep themselves in top condition in the summer break.
‘When Diogo needed to train during the off-season, he asked to come here and we always made everything available. His brother usually came too and they would both work,’ Cerqueira said.
‘It is difficult to talk at a time like this, but what will remain is the image of two very humble people, who leave a huge void.’
