Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, were killed in a car crash in Zamora, Spain, in the early hours of Thursday, July 3.
Jota, who was 28, had just recently tied the knot with his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, on June 22.
“The information we have so far is that the car, which was a Lamborghini, was in a road traffic accident and left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking,” the Spanish Guardia Civil confirmed to BBC News. “It was in the early hours, 00:30 BST, in the municipality of Cernadilla in the province of Zamora.”
“The car caught on fire and the two occupants were killed,” the local police force said, confirming the identities of the two people as Jota and Silva.
Jota played as a forward for the English Premier League team Liverpool F.C.
The soccer team said in a statement via its website, “Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.”
“Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support,” the statement continued.
In a statement to the BBC, Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca said: “The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated by the death of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, this early morning, in Spain.”
“Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 international appearances for the national team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself,” Proenca continued. “On my behalf, and on behalf of the Portuguese Football Federation, I express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Diogo and Andre Silva, as well as Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs where, respectively, they played their football.”
“The loss of Diogo and Andre represent irreplaceable losses for Portuguese football and we will do everything, daily, to honor their legacy,” he added.
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