Diogo Jota, Portuguese player for Liverpool, and his brother André died early Thursday morning in a traffic accident on the Rías Bajas Highway (A-52) near Palacios de Sanabria (Zamora), as reported by Efe. The Portuguese player was an international with Portugal and played for two seasons (2016-2018) and was owned by Atlético de Madrid.
The accident occurred around 0:40 hours when the Lamborghini they were traveling in veered off the road and caught fire, at kilometer 65 of the A-52 towards Benavente. Sources consulted by Efe suggest that the car may have had a tire blowout while overtaking, causing it to veer off the road and catch fire.
Just ten days ago, the 28-year-old player had gotten married and had shared photos of the wedding on his social media with his wife, Rute Cardoso, and their three children. His brother André, 26, was a player for Penafiel in the Portuguese second division.
Known as Diego Jota, Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, he is an international player for Portugal, debuting in 2019 and playing 49 matches with 14 goals scored.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, which spread to the surrounding vegetation, and collaborated with Emergency medical services and the Civil Guard. Medical services on-site could only confirm the deaths of the two occupants of the vehicle.