Last Thursday, July 3, a fatal traffic accident killed Diogo Jota, Liverpool's Portuguese footballer, and his brother, André Silva. This Saturday, July 5, their loved ones and fans said goodbye to the young men at a funeral in Gondomar, Portugal.
This final farewell took place in the deceased's hometown and was officiated by Manuel Linda, the Bishop of Porto, who offered some emotional words to the striker's wife and children.
In the middle of his speech, the religious leader assured that he would pray a lot for Rute Cardoso, Jota's wife and mother of his three children, Dini, Duarte and Mafalda, who were not present.
"If it's difficult to see an adult cry, it's even more difficult to see a child cry," the bishop said.
And he added: "Dear Dinis, Mafalda and Duarte, children who are not here. Right now, you are suffering a lot, or maybe not, because you don't realize it. I will pray a lot for you. Those who suffer the most are your mother and your grandparents. Seeing the mortal remains of a child must be an even greater torment, but when there are two urns, there are no words. But there are feelings. We are here to tell you that we also suffer a lot. We are here with you emotionally. To cry is human. What a shame for us if we didn't."
Roberto Martínez, the coach of the Portuguese national football team, also offered some emotional words."These have been very sad days, as you can imagine, but today we have shown that we are a very large and united family," he said.
At the end of the ceremony, as the coffins were carried out of the church, the Ave Maria was played. The mourners, through tears, offered comfort to one another as they followed in silence.
Rute, 28, was visibly moved as she held the back of her husband's coffin. Someone close to her hugged her for comfort.
Both brothers were buried in the cemetery next to the church, less than 100 meters away, surrounded by olive trees.
Diojo Jota's promise to his children before the accident
Eleven days before the traffic accident, Diogo Jota married Rute Cardoso. Although they formalized their union that day, they were already living together and were the parents of three minor children.
The 28-year-old footballer's dedication to his children was always evident, and he took every opportunity to talk about his little ones.
In an interview published on Liverpool F.C.'s YouTube channel, he spoke about his role as a dad:"I want to be the best father I can be. I try to lead by example, give them good feedback, even though sometimes I want to rest a bit longer in the afternoon and they're all happy because I'm home and want to play."
Sofia Arias Martinez
