Diogo Jota was driving Lamborghini Urus SUV during accident; Liverpool star was unrecognisable

Diogo Jota (28) was travelling with his younger brother André Silva (26) in his Lamborghini Urus SUV to Santander when the fatal accident occurred in Zamora, Portuguese news reports said. They set out at night because Jota was scheduled to catch a ferry to England from Santander at daybreak.

 

The Liverpool forward had reportedly been advised against flying due to a recent lung surgery, prompting him to travel by road and sea instead. The former Porto and Wolverhampton player had missed several matches in the past season due to health issues, CNN Portugal reported.

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Initial investigations suggest that a tire burst during an overtaking attempt caused the vehicle to skid off the road and explode, killing both brothers.

 

On Thursday morning, Zamora authorities confirmed that the bodies were unrecognisable due to the explosion that followed the crash. As a result, DNA tests were required for formal identification. 

 

 

Jota and Andre were initially linked to the car by anaylising he license plate of the charred SUV. Later, some identification documents stored inside the Lamborghini were recovered intact, which helped ease the identification process. Eyewitnesses noted that the vehicle fire had spread to nearby vegetation before first responders could reach the site.

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Born in Massarelos, Porto, Diogo Jota represented Paços de Ferreira, Atlético de Madrid, FC Porto, and Wolverhampton Wanderers before joining Liverpool in 2020. He made 182 appearances for the Reds, scoring 65 goals and providing 26 assists.

 

Internationally, Jota earned 49 caps for Portugal, scoring 14 goals for the national team.

 

Diogo Jota is survived by his wife Rute Cardoso and three children.

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