Diogo Jota, Liverpool and Portugal forward, has tragically passed away at the age of 28 following a grisly road accident.
Jota died after his Lamborghini careered off a road in northern Spain – just two weeks after he married his childhood sweetheart.
The Portuguese forward was travelling in the supercar with his fellow footballer brother Andre, 26, who also died in the crash.
The Lamborghini’s tyre is believed to have blown out while overtaking on the A-52 around 70 miles west of the historic city of Valladolid. The car came off the road, crashed and then burst into flames in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Emergency services in the Castilla and Leon region confirmed the crash and two fatalities.
‘The 1-1-2 Castilla y León operations room received several calls reporting a vehicle accident at Km. 65 of the A-52, in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora. A car was reported to have been involved in an accident and the vehicle was on fire,’ a statement read.
‘1-1-2 notified the Zamora Traffic Police, the Zamora Provincial Council Fire Brigade, and the Sacyl Emergency Coordination Center (CCU) of this accident.
His death was confirmed by Pedro Proenca, head of the Portuguese Football Federation.
He said in a statement: ‘The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva, this morning, in Spain.
‘Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 internationalizations for the National A Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.
The Portuguese national football team have said they are ‘devastated’ by the death of Liverpool forward Diogo, adding that he ‘was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person who was respected by all his teammates and opponents’.
The news has sent shockwaves through the footballing community and beyond, leaving millions heartbroken over the loss of a man who was not only a brilliant player, but a devoted husband, father, son, and friend.
Just four days ago, Diogo celebrated one of the happiest moments of his life his wedding.
The ceremony was filled with joy, laughter, and promises for the future. It now feels impossibly cruel that those dreams were so abruptly taken away.
Diogo was also a proud father of three young children.
Additional reporting by Daily Mail
