Romeo Beckham and Piers Morgan lead heartbreaking celeb tributes to Diogo Jota
The world is in mourning on Thursday following the shock death of Liverpool star Diogo Jota. The Portuguese forward died at the age of 28 following a car accident in Spain in the early hours of the morning.
Jota's brother, Andre Felipe, was also killed in the tragedy in Zamora near Spain's north-west border with Portugal. Tributes have continued to pour in following the sad news, with many mourners also heading to Anfield and Jota's former clubs, including Wolverhampton Wanderers, to pay their respects.
Huge names in the world of football took the time to remember the player, including former manager Jurgen Klopp and international teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. And the world of showbiz was also on hand to share emotional messages.
Among them was staunch Liverpool fan, comedian John Bishop. The comic took to Instagram to share a touching message alongside an image of Jota celebrating in a Liverpool shirt.
He wrote: "Heartbreaking news about Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family," alongside a broken heart emoji.
Piers Morgan also shared a tribute on social media. On Twitter /X, he wrote: "Desperately sad news coming out of Spain that Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota, 28, has died, along with his brother, in a car accident in Zamora. He only got married 2 weeks ago. Heart-breaking."
The former Good Morning Britain man then shared Ronaldo's tribute. He added a love heart emoji on his reshared post.
Others paying respects on social media was footballer Harry Maguire's wife, Fern Maguire. She shared the Premier League's tribute as she wrote: "Utterly heartbreaking."
David Beckham also penned touching tribute over the top of a black-and-white image of the star in a Portugal game."Devastating to hear this such sad news.. Sending love to Diogo & Andre's families," he wrote.
His son Romeo also shared his grief. After sharing a black-and-white snap of the star with broken heart emojis, Romeo penned: "Life is too short, love who you love and tell them how much you really do!
"Life can flash before your eyes at any moments! But the people that truly love you and care for you will always be there.... Don't hold back from LOVE OR APPRECIATION for ANYTHING OR ANYONE."
And the Radford family, who rose to fame on Channel 5's 22 Kids and Counting, similarly took social media, saying: "Absolutely heartbreaking news." The words were followed by a crying emoji.
TV presenter and sports expert Kirsty Gallacher shared a link of the devastating news to her page. She added a tearful emoji to her upload.
Sarah Ferguson issued a direct message to the wife of Diogo Jota hours after his heartbreaking death, which came just ten days after he married Rute Cardoso. "My heartfelt sympathy is with Rute, Diogo's newlywed widow, the precious children who have lost their devoted father, and all those who loved these two extraordinary athletes, Diogo and Andre," the Duchess said. "May their light and legacy continue to inspire the world."
And she isn't the only member of the Royal Family to pay tribute tot he sports star. In a rare post, the Prince of Wales, Prince Williamm signed off his post with "W", signalling that it was him.
He wrote: "As part of the footballing family, I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Diogo Jota and his brother. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who knew him @LFC @ Wolves. W."
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The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
González's double inspires Spain to emphatic Euro 2025 win over Portugal
The minute's silence was immaculate, poignant, loaded and ultimately broke into applause. 'Rest in peace Diogo Jota,' spelled a series of cards held up behind Inês Pereira's goal; the air was thick with emotion in those moments before kick-off and one of the first things to say is that Portugal's players deserve the highest admiration for turning out to compete. They may not have shared a dressing room with Jota or his equally mourned brother, André Silva, but that cannot minimise the fact two members of their nation's tightly-knit footballing family had been taken away in devastating circumstances. It took guts and no little honour to show up and keep running, probing, scrapping, hunting for moments to take pride in while their opponents left no doubt that they are runaway favourites for this competition. Spain should be lauded, too, for resisting any temptation to go easy, starting at a rattling pace and completing a thoroughly professional job. In their case that often means administering a sound beating and there is no escaping that they delivered one here. They settled for five, Cristina Martín-Prieto adding late gloss, and could strike further fear into their rivals by giving a brief runout to Aitana Bonmatí. But the night's awful context was always hanging, the heartbreaking fate of Portugal's lost star a visual presence in the form of placards held among the fans. 'You took the name of Portugal beyond borders,' read a tribute hung from the upper tier of the west stand. 'Now it is our turn to raise your name.' Francisco Neto, the Portugal manager, did that himself after the match. He explained that he had coached Jota during a spell as assistant coach of the men's under-19 side; the pair had remained on warm terms and Jota, true to every account of his personality, had taken a close interest in the fortunes of the women's team. 'Today is a really sad day because two of us lost their lives so young,' Neto said. 'It's not a good day. If we had the chance to change everything, of course we would. 'Diogo followed our team because he loved the country. We kept in contact. When we would cross the room and see the men's team, I would talk with him and he always knew our results. He knew the team, the players, and this is the culture we have in Portugal.' Jota embodied Portugal's roaming, joyful, acutely accomplished football spirit. It is a matter of time before their women's team, hoping for a first knockout spot this summer, produces heroes with his staying power. The Barcelona forward Kika Nazareth, a safe bet to be among them, was not deemed fit enough to start but would have been hard pressed to shift the dial. Even before tragedy visited them, opening their tournament against Spain looked the tallest of orders. The improving condition of Bonmatí, who had caused widespread concern by contracting viral meningitis, bodes well for Spain although she requires handling with care. They should be able to ramp up without her, although this became a welcome opportunity to taper down. Montse Tomé's team had scored 11 times in two Nations League ties against Portugal in April; here they were two up within seven minutes and, in mid-20s heat, could run through the hits when it suited thereafter. It took under 90 seconds for Esther González, found by a raking pass from the left-back Olga Carmona, to tame the ball smartly before improvising a deft finish past Pereira. The second quickly followed, Mariona Caldentey snaking a tantalising low cross from the other side and seeing the 18-year-old Vicky López convert at full stretch. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Portugal assembled into a huddle after López's goal. They hung in admirably, Pereira saving from González and twice from Clàudia Pina. Between those chances Alexia Putellas sidefooted wide, but she would join in four minutes before half-time after a shimmy past Diana Gomes. González quickly doubled her tally, Pina's cross striking the far post and presenting the simplest finish. It was no slight on Portugal that the favourites were impossible to subdue. The livewire Jessica Silva, among the players who made tributes to Jota on Instagram, symbolised Portugal's appetite to persist. After the interval she tried to catch Adriana Nanclares out and then, blazing past Laia Aleixandri, forced a booking. A goal would have raised the roof and it almost came when Ana Capeta jabbed over. In the end Martín-Prieto had the last word but only one figure had, in truth, dominated thoughts all day. Portugal had been backed fabulously, their contingent largely culled from an extensive émigré community, and faced their most vocal bank of supporters together after the final whistle. They lined up behind a banner printed with 'Thank you for everything, Diogo Jota', the two groups acknowledging one another for an extended spell. They will never need telling to elevate his memory.
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- The Independent
Diogo Jota death latest: Liverpool manager Slot says footballer was ‘friend to everyone' after fatal car crash
Liverpool FC's manager has issued an emotional statement after the team's forward Diogo Jota was killed in a car crash alongside his brother. Arne Slot said he 'has no words' to describe pain after Jota's death, as he paid tribute to the 28-year-old as a 'friend to everyone'. The footballer had been travelling in a Lamborghini with his brother Andre Silva when the car veered off the road and burst into flames following what police suspect was a tyre blowout while overtaking. The pair were found dead on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora at 12.40am on Thursday. The incident happened just 11 days after Jota, a father of three, married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, in Porto, Portugal. According to BBC Sport, Jota was returning for pre-season training next week via ferry after being advised not to fly following minor surgery. Tributes are flooding in for the pair from vast numbers of former players, clubs, sporting figures, and footballing fans, who just months earlier witnessed Jota win his first Premier League title. In a heartfelt tribute, Cristiano Ronaldo said the death of his Portugal teammate 'doesn't make sense'. 'We will all miss you,' he added.
The Herald Scotland
37 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Liverpool's Portuguese forward Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain
Two men, aged 28 and 26, were found dead in the car, which burst into flames near Zamora, the capital of the Zamora province, which is in the Castile and Leon region. "We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day," the Portuguese Football Federation said in a statement. Spanish police told Reuters they could not yet officially confirm the names of the deceased, but everything pointed to it being Jota and his brother. The Lamborghini they were travelling in veered off the road, the spokesperson said. The bodies have been taken to a forensics unit in Zamora, where autopsies will be performed, they said. Who was Diogo Jota? Jota, who got married in June, helped Liverpool win the Premier League last season and also won the FA Cup and League Cup with the Merseyside outfit. Jota and his wife just had their third baby on November 26, according to posts made on Instagram. "He just won the Prem, Nations League, and got married all within a month," wrote one user on Instagram. "And his life has been cut short. RIP" Jota arrived at Anfield, Liverpool's football [soccer] club, from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the club in all competitions. "Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota," the club wrote in a post on X. He also made 49 appearances for Portugal, twice winning the UEFA Nations League. Contributing: Reuters
