The 28-year-old Portuguese player got married just two weeks ago. André, also a player, was 26.

Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota died in the early hours of Thursday morning in a traffic accident in Zamora after the vehicle in which he was travelling with his brother André, also a footballer, went off the road and was later engulfed in flames.

The two brothers, aged 28 and 26, died in the accident, which occurred around 00:35 at kilometre 65 of the A-52 towards Benavente, in the municipality of Cernadilla, according to the Provincial Council of Zamora.

Following the impact, several calls alerted the 1-1-2 emergency service that a car was on fire on the Rías Bajas highway with occupants inside.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which spread to surrounding vegetation, and collaborated with emergency medical services and the Civil Guard. Medical services were only able to confirm the deaths of the two occupants of the Lamborghini vehicle.

A tire blowout

According to reports from the Government Delegation in Castile and León, everything indicates that the vehicle they were traveling in suffered a tire burst while overtaking. The vehicle then went off the road and began to burn, becoming completely charred.

The same sources have confirmed that the bodies have been transferred to the Zamora forensic anatomy institute. Pending the completion of the forensic tests and full verification of their identity once the autopsies are performed, the initial identification and all evidence points to the two brothers. The vehicle model, belongings found at the scene, and documentation also match those of the two Portuguese footballers.

The tragic event took place just ten days after the Portuguese player married his partner, Rute Cardoso, with whom he has three young children.

A Liverpool player since 2020, Diogo Jota played for Wolverhampton and Atlético Madrid, although he never made his debut for the Madrid club. His brother, André Teixeira da Silva, also a professional footballer, played for Penafiel in the Portuguese second division.