The widow of the late Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota was visibly distraught as she accompanied his coffin during the funeral service held on Saturday at Igreja Matriz church in Gondomar, Portugal. The gathering came in the wake of his tragic passing in a devastating car accident earlier in the week.
Rute Cardoso, visibly emotional, assisted pallbearers, bowing her head and shedding tears while they carried the former Liverpool player’s coffin. The service also honored his younger brother, Andre Silva, who was also killed in the crash that took place shortly after midnight on Thursday in Spain.
Jota was 28 years old and Silva, a fellow soccer player, was 25.
The siblings lost their lives when the Lamborghini they were driving veered off the road and burst into flames, investigators said.
It is unclear who was behind the wheel.
The horrific incident occurred just weeks after Jota and Cardoso, his partner of 10 years, tied the knot on June 22. They share three young children.
“A day we will never forget,” Jota captioned a joint Instagram post with Cardoso.
In the weeks leading up to his big day with Cardoso, Jota helped Portugal win the Nations League with a 5-3 triumph over Spain on June 8.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to their family,” Portugal Prime Minister Luís Montenegro stated. “Today is a somber day for soccer and the world of sports at both the national and international level.”
Jota made 49 appearances for Portugal.
He suited up for Liverpool since 2020, scoring 65 goals across 182 appearances.
“Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota,” the club said in a statement.
The team added it requests “the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.”
Liverpool’s captain, Virgil van Dijk, posted an emotional tribute to Jota on Instagram, calling him “a champion forever.”
“What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man,” he wrote.
“You meant so much to all of us and you always will! For your family to lose two sons, a husband and a father is just unimaginable. So cruel and unfair. My heart is breaking for all of your beautiful family, for Rute and for your kids. I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family.”
Van Dijk, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, teammate Andrew Robertson and manager Arne Slot were among those from Liverpool who attended Saturday’s funeral in Jota’s hometown.
The Liverpool captain had a red floral arrangement in the form of a soccer jersey with Jota’s No. 20 in white, while Robertson had a No. 30 version for Silva, per the Associated Press.
Team Portugal’s Rúben Neves served as a pallbearer, while fellow national team member João Cancelo and others also attended the funeral, per the report.
Hundreds of people reportedly paid their respects at the funeral.
“These are really, really sad days, as you can imagine,” Team Portugal manager Roberto Martínez said, per the AP. “But today we showed we are a large, close family. … Their spirit will be with us forever.”
