Photo of Diogo Jota and Rute Cardoso (Image: Rute Cardoso/Instagram)
It has been a year since Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva were tragically killed in a car crash. Portugal beat Croatia in their World Cup round of 32 clash last night, on the eve of the anniversary of the brothers’ deaths, and paid tribute to Jota post-match. Throughout their World Cup campaign, the Portugal squad have worn wristbands in honour of their former team-mate Jota.
The forward was also displayed on stadium screens ahead of the team’s opening fixture against DR Congo, with his parents, who were in the stadium, visibly moved by the heartfelt tribute. Jota’s final competitive appearance saw him lift the Nations League trophy with Portugal, and his wife, Rute, has revealed it was the striker’s dream to represent his country at a World Cup. His international team-mate Ruben Neves has disclosed that he still sends Jota WhatsApp messages to this day.
Liverpool and the broader footballing world were left heartbroken last year by the sudden loss of Jota, 28, who had recently celebrated winning the Premier League title with the Reds. The Portugal international had also just married his long-term partner, Rute, a mere 11 days before his passing, and Jota’s wife recently shared his wedding speech on their anniversary.
His younger sibling Andre, 25, was also a professional footballer, playing for Portuguese side Penafiel. The pair were travelling together towards the Spanish city of Santander, as Jota had been told to avoid air travel following lung surgery.
The brothers had intended to board an overnight ferry to England before making their way to Portsmouth. However, the Lamborghini Huracan that Jota was behind the wheel of veered off the road.
Outlining the reasoning behind Jota’s travel plans, CNN Portugal’s Rui Laura said: “The surgery he had had was lung surgery, and he had been advised against flying following this.
“He was on his way to the northern Spanish port city of Santander to cross the ferry and reach the UK that way, and carry on with the car once he reached Britain. He was on his way to Liverpool with his brother.”
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Portugal have repeatedly paid tribute to Diogo Jota at this year’s World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
The police investigation into the incident established that a tyre blowout had taken place while the Liverpool forward was attempting to overtake a vehicle on A-52, roughly 70 miles west of Valladolid. The vehicle then departed the road at approximately 12.40am and caught fire.
Firefighters, alongside emergency services and the Civil Guard, tackled the flames, but it was confirmed that both people inside had perished. A statement from the Civil Guard in Zamora read: “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 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.”
Former Liverpool star Diogo Jota tragically died last year (Image: Getty Images)
Jota made 37 appearances for Liverpool during the 2024/25 campaign, scoring nine goals and providing four assists.
Portugal’s participation so close to the anniversary of his passing will represent an emotional moment for his national team, though manager Roberto Martinez has disclosed how the forward remains an inspiration to his team-mates.
“Diogo is our light,” Martinez told The Athletic ahead of the World Cup. “Diogo is our reference of wanting to do or needing to do what his dream was, which was winning titles for Portugal, like he did winning the Nations League. He was a big part of what we built in the dressing room.
“He wanted to win the World Cup, so it becomes a bit of a responsibility, an example, because Diogo was the pure example of believing in whatever could be possible, always with that tenacity, always finding the answer in the right moment in the difficult moment in the game.”