Diogo Jota’s family and former Liverpool teammates gathered in Gondomar, Portugal on Saturday for the funeral of the late soccer star and his brother, André Silva.
Jota, 28, and his 25-year-old brother – who was also a professional footballer – died in a car crash in Spain early on Thursday morning, plunging the soccer world into mourning.
Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, with whom he shares three young children and who he married less than two weeks before the crash, was pictured embracing other mourners as she arrived at the church ahead of the service, which lasted about an hour on Saturday morning.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and left back Andy Robertson led the tributes from Jota’s former club, carrying bunches of red flowers in the shape of the two brothers’ jerseys.
They were accompanied by other members of the team, including Alexis Mac Allister, Darwin Núñez and Ibrahima Konaté. The team’s manager, Arne Slot, along with CEO Michael Edwards, was also present.
Later, bells rang out at the church as a long line of mourners accompanied the brothers’ coffins inside. Portugal star Rúben Neves, Jota’s former teammate with the national team and with Wolverhampton Wanderers, was among the pallbearers. Another person walked in front of the coffins, carrying a black-and-white photo of Silva that read “Para Sempre Um De Nos” – “Forever One Of Us.”

Diogo Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso and her sister grieve as former teammates carry the brothers’ coffins into the church.
Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty Images
Figures from Portugal’s national soccer team, including its head coach Roberto Martínez, Manchester City stars Rúben Dias and Bernardo Silva, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes and Chelsea forward João Félix were also in Gondomar, near Porto, on Saturday morning.
“Today was a day that we showed that we are a very, very large but close family,” Martínez told reporters outside the church. “We are Portugal … we are together and we will always be together.”
The bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, delivered an emotional homily addressed to the brothers’ parents as well as Jota’s wife and their three young children, saying “solidarity in love is always stronger than death,” per Reuters.
The funeral on Saturday comes after a wake for the brothers’ family was held on Friday morning at a church in their hometown of Gondomar, the church told CNN. It added that the doors at the Igreja Martiz de Gondomar were open to the public on Friday afternoon.
Friday also saw tributes continue to pour in from around the world. In the Club World Cup, moments of silence were held before the games, with Al-Hilal duo Neves and João Cancelo, as well as Chelsea winger Pedro Neto – all former teammates of Jota’s with the Portugal national team – all looking visibly emotional.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and left-back Andy Robertson arrive to the funeral with flowers on Saturday morning.
Pedro Nunes/Reuters
British rock band Oasis also honored Jota, dedicating their song “Live Forever” to the 28-year-old during their reunion concert in Cardiff, Wales.
In London, Portuguese tennis players Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges, who were competing at Wimbledon, were given permission by organizers to stray from the tournament’s strict all-white dress code to honor Jota, they told reporters, including CNN, on Friday.
News
Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are taking a dramatic step behind the scenes — one that could either save their marriage… or change everything…
Princess Beatrice and Edo Mozzi are mulling over a move to the US to get marriage back on track and escape her parents’ Epstein scandal There can be little doubt that the lives of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s children have been profoundly…
CAMERA CAUGHT — Princess Catherine’s Unusual Gesture During Church Service Sparks Questions — And William’s Reaction Says It All
Princess Kate pictured making unusual gesture during church service with Prince William The Princess of Wales joined her husband Prince William for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s installation at the Kent cathedral on Wednesday © Getty Images The Princess of Wales was impeccably…
Christiane Amanpour Faces Cancer Again — And Her Strength Is Inspiring Millions
Christiane Amanpour, the British-Iranian journalist and CNN’s Chief International Anchor, has confirmed that her battle with cancer has returned for the third time. However, in a heartfelt and powerful message, she assured her viewers that her condition is being “very…
After 18 Years, NCIS Just Lost a Legend — And Fans Are Still in Shock
CIS fans have been left shocked after a huge plot twist saw a major character killed off in episode 13 of season 23, which aired on Tuesday. Marking its 500th episode, the hit police procedural delivered a dramatic instalment and, while…
The Other Bennet Sister Is Flipping Jane Austen’s World — And Fans Are Hooked
LONDON — For over two centuries, she was the punchline. The awkward middle sister with the “regrettable” spectacles and the poorly-timed piano solos. But this March, Mary Bennet has finally stepped out of Elizabeth’s shadow, and the results are leaving…
This Russell Crowe Film Proves the Most Powerful Battles Don’t Need a Battlefield
‘Nuremberg’ Review: Russell Crowe Commands James Vanderbilt’s Harrowing Historical Drama With Nuremberg, director and screenwriter James Vanderbilt delivers one of the most striking historical dramas of the year — a film that trades battlefield explosions for moral tension, psychological warfare, and the chilling…
End of content
No more pages to load