The football world stood still on Saturday as hundreds gathered in solemn tribute to Diogo Jota and his younger brother André Silva, who were tragically killed in a car crash in Spain earlier this week.
The emotional funeral, held in Gondomar, near Porto, was attended by a host of football stars, family, and fans mourning the shocking loss.
Jota, aged 28, and his 25-year-old brother, both professional footballers, died instantly in the early hours of Thursday, when their vehicle was involved in a high-speed collision during a trip across the Spanish border. The incident has cast a deep shadow over European football and beyond.
Among the mourners were Liverpool teammates past and present, including Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, who carried floral tributes shaped like the brothers’ shirts.
Fellow Reds stars Alexis Mac Allister, Darwin Núñez, and Ibrahima Konaté were also in attendance, along with Liverpool manager Arne Slot and CEO Michael Edwards.
Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, who had married the footballer just two weeks before the crash, was seen embracing mourners as she arrived at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar, where the hour-long service took place. The couple shared three young children.
A poignant moment came as Portugal international Rúben Neves, one of Jota’s closest friends and former teammates at Wolves, served as a pallbearer. A mourner walked ahead of the coffins holding a black-and-white photograph of Silva bearing the message “Para Sempre Um De Nós” — “Forever One of Us.”
The emotional ceremony was led by Bishop Manuel Linda of Porto, who comforted the brothers’ grieving parents and Jota’s widow, reminding mourners that “solidarity in love is always stronger than death.”
A long line of high-profile figures from the Portugal national team turned out, including Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix, Rúben Dias, and national team coach Roberto Martínez. Their presence underlined the deep respect Jota commanded both as a player and a person.
Tributes continued around the world. A moment of silence was observed before Club World Cup matches. Former teammates João Cancelo, Pedro Neto, and Rúben Neves were visibly moved.
At Wimbledon, Portuguese tennis players Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges were granted rare permission to break dress code by wearing black ribbons in Jota’s memory.
In an unexpected tribute, Oasis dedicated “Live Forever” to Jota during their reunion concert in Cardiff, a gesture that resonated globally with fans.
The town of Gondomar — and a nation — continues to mourn not just the loss of a footballer, but a father, a brother, a husband, and a national treasure.
