FAREWELL, DIOGO Football unites in heartbreak for Diogo Jota & brother Andre’s funeral from Portugal to Liverpool after tragic car crash

LIVERPOOL star Diogo Jota was laid to rest after a heartbreaking funeral attended by his family, friends and Liverpool teammates today.

Posted Sunday, July 06, 2025 by Thesun.co.uk

The Reds striker, 28, and his 25-year-old footballer brother Andre Silva were buried just two days after their tragic deaths in a car crash.

Virgil Van Dijk and Andy Robertson led mourners with two touching wreathes emblazoned with Diogo's number 20 and Andre's number 30

Liverpool manager Arne Slot bows his head as he leaves the service

Jordan Henderson (L), James Milner (R) and Alexis Mac Allister (C) leave the touching service

As family, friends and teammates said goodbye to Jota and his brother Andre in their hometown in Portugal, mourners were paying their respects over 1,000 miles away at Anfield.

A sea of floral tributes have been left outside the stadium as fans gathered to pay tribute to the star.

Flags have been lowered to half-mast at the stadium and all club stores, museums and tours have been closed until Monday, with staff offered well-being support.

Relatives and friends filed into the church in Gondomar, northern Portugal this morning - the same place where Diogo had got married just 13 days ago.

Father-of-three Jota had only married his long-time partner Rute Cardoso a fortnight ago, with the organist and soloist who entertained the couple on their wedding performing at the funeral mass.

The Bishop of Porto Don Manuel Linda dedicated the mass to Jota's three young children, Dinis, four, Duarte, two and seven-month-old Mafalda, who did not attend the hour-long service.

Bishop Linda addressed them directly to assure them they would be loved and supported following the loss of their dad.

He said: "Dear Dinis, Duarte and Mafalda, you don't know who I am and I don't know you personally either.

"But I know that, at this moment, you are suffering immensely - or maybe not - because you don't even realise the tragedy that has befallen your family.

"You will become aware of it later and it will be terrible but I will pray a lot for you.

"Rute is heartbroken and so are your grandparents Isabel and Joaquim and other members of your family.

"When it is not just one coffin but the coffins of two brothers there are no words."

Portugal's head coach Roberto Martinez spoke outside the church after the ceremony and said it was "essential" for Portugal to show "we are together," adding the brothers' spirits will be "with us forever".

He said: "So thank you very much for your messages and for your support and everything that we receive [from] all over the world.

"Today we are all one football family."

A sea of flowers has sprung up in Liverpool for Jota

Everton manager, David Moyes, pays his respects outside Anfield Stadium

Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk and defender Andy Robertson led virtually the entire Reds squad carrying wreaths emblazoned with Diogo's number 20 and Andre's number 30.

Team coach Arne Slot joined the black-suited group along with stars including Joe Gomez, Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Ibrahima Konate, Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones.

They were joined by former teammates James Milner and Jordan Henderson.

The Kop club will remain in mourning after putting back planned pre-season training schedules while players and coaching staff recover from their loss.

The service was private but a live audio feed was played outside the church and players and the funeral cortege were greeted by warm applause in bright sunshine.

Jota, along with Andre - a player for Portuguese second tier club Penafiel - when his Lamborghini crashed on the A52 highway in Zamora province, northern Spain.

The £210,000 Huracan supercar - capable of 199mph - suffered a suspected tyre blowout.

They were en route to the Spanish port city of Santander to catch a ferry to the UK after Portugal star Jota was urged not to travel by plane following lung surgery.

Renato Veiga of Chelsea; Wolves' Nelson Semedo, former Liverpool player Fabinho, Porto FC president Andre Villas-Boas also attended yesterday.