Salah 'frightened' to return to Liverpool after Jota death
The Portugal forward and his younger brother Andre Silva, died in the early hours of Thursday after their car veered off a motorway in Spain and burst into flames.
Mourners gathered at a wake in Portugal on Friday ahead of the brothers' funeral on Saturday.
Jota's Liverpool teammates have spoken of their struggle to comprehend his death, with captain Virgil van Dijk writing on Instagram that he was "absolutely devastated and in total disbelief".
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said everyone associated with the club owed it to Jota to "stand together and be there for one another".
Egypt international Salah paid tribute to Jota on Friday.
"I am truly lost for words," last season's Premier League top-scorer posted on Instagram. "Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break.
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MTV Lebanon
3 days ago
- MTV Lebanon
Liverpool's Jota Mourned by Family and Locals at Hometown Wake
Hundreds of residents of Gondomar in northern Portugal filed past the bodies of former Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva at a chapel in their hometown on Friday, after their deaths in a car crash in Spain. At an earlier private wake, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, FC Porto President Andre Villas-Boas, Portuguese Football Federation President Pedro Proenca and Jota's longtime agent Jorge Mendes joined the brothers' family including Jota's wife Rute Cardoso, who had married the footballer just weeks earlier. "It is a moment of great pain for the family, who are left anchored to this tragic accident," Proenca said as he left the wake. "Diogo was an icon for the talent that Portuguese football represents and for its ability to generate unity around a person." The brothers were believed to be driving to a ferry in Spain to travel to the UK when their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight on Thursday. Police said they suspected a tyre had burst. Silva was also a footballer, with Penafiel in the Portuguese second division. Their funeral is expected to take place on Saturday at a nearby church at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT), the office of Gondomar's mayor said. The death of forward Jota at the age of 28 has jolted the world of football, with tributes pouring in from former teammates, clubs, national leaders and fans. "Diogo was a silent hero for everything he represented on and off the pitch," Villas-Boas said as he left the wake. "These are tragic days, days for reflection, and may the memory of these two athletes, these two great men, live on," the former Chelsea manager added. Outside Liverpool's Anfield stadium fans left flowers, scarves and handwritten notes, many from children. "I never thought there would be something that would frighten me off going back to Liverpool after the (summer) break," Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah said on Instagram. "Teammates come and go but not like this. It's going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won't be there when we go back," he added. Football clubs including Paris St Germain -- who have several Portugal internationals in their squad -- Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid observed a moment of silence during training for their matches at the Club World Cup in the United States. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Thursday that forward Pedro Neto was weighing up whether to play in Friday's quarter-final against Palmeiras, as the Portuguese international mourned the tragic death of his close friend. Jota's manager at Liverpool, Arne Slot, said in a statement on Thursday that his thoughts were with his family. "My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone," Slot said, using the words of the team's anthem. "For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player, he was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special," the Dutchman added. In Gondomar, a town of about 160,000 people in the Porto metropolitan area that is known for artisanal gold and filigree jewellery, residents were struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of a local hero. At the Diogo Jota Academy in Gondomar – whose motto is "It's not important where we come from, but where we are going" – people placed candles and flowers, as well as scarves and shirts from the clubs he played for and from the Portuguese national team in tribute to the player. Jota opened the academy in 2022 for children aged six to nine at the Gondomar Football Club where he himself played for 10 years as a child. It was at Gondomar's high school that he met his wife. They began dating aged 15 when in the same class and she became a pillar in his life. When they were 19, they moved to Madrid together, when Jota was transferred from the small Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira to Atletico Madrid. "Besides being his girlfriend and best friend, I'm his number one fan," Cardoso told the newspaper 'A Bola' at the time. Jota was making his way back to Liverpool by car after he was told he should avoid plane travel for up to six weeks following lung surgery to address a fractured rib, his physiotherapist Miguel Goncalves told broadcaster Now late on Thursday. Goncalves said Jota was recovering well from the pneumothorax surgery and that he had planned to take a ferry to the UK from Spain.
MTV Lebanon
3 days ago
- MTV Lebanon
Salah 'frightened' to return to Liverpool after Jota death
Mohamed Salah said the death of Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota in a car crash had left him "frightened" to return to the club as the Premier League champions postponed the return of some players for pre-season training. The Portugal forward and his younger brother Andre Silva, died in the early hours of Thursday after their car veered off a motorway in Spain and burst into flames. Mourners gathered at a wake in Portugal on Friday ahead of the brothers' funeral on Saturday. Jota's Liverpool teammates have spoken of their struggle to comprehend his death, with captain Virgil van Dijk writing on Instagram that he was "absolutely devastated and in total disbelief". Liverpool manager Arne Slot said everyone associated with the club owed it to Jota to "stand together and be there for one another". Egypt international Salah paid tribute to Jota on Friday. "I am truly lost for words," last season's Premier League top-scorer posted on Instagram. "Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break.
Nahar Net
4 days ago
- Nahar Net
Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother killed in car accident in Spain
by Naharnet Newsdesk 03 July 2025, 12:38 Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother have died in a car accident in Spain, police said Thursday. The Spanish Civil Guard confirmed to The Associated Press that Jota and his brother were found dead after their car went off a road near the western city of Zamora. Authorities said the car was in flames. Police were investigating the causes. They said there were no other vehicles involved. The 28-year-old Jota and his brother, 25-year-old Andre Silva, both Portuguese players, were in the car. Jota also played for Portugal's national team and helped it win the Nations League last month. Silva played with Portuguese club Penafiel in the lower divisions. Jota joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 and won three major trophies with the Merseyside club — including the Premier League title last season Jota's death comes weeks after he married Rute Cardoso and in a social media post wrote, "Yes to forever." The AP approached Liverpool for comment but the club had not immediately responded. The Portuguese soccer federation released a statement lamenting the deaths. Federation president Pedro Proença said Portuguese soccer was "completely devastated." "More than a fantastic player, with almost 50 appearances for the national team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all his colleagues and opponents. He had a contagious joy and was a reference in his community," Proença said in the statement. The Portuguese federation said it has requested a minute of silence before Thursday's match between Portugal and Spain at the Women's European Championship being played in Switzerland. "We lost two champions," Proença said. "Their deaths represent an irreparable loss for Portuguese soccer and we will all do our best to honor their legacy daily."
