Diogo Jota, Liverpool and Portugal player, dies in car accident in Spain at age 28
Liverpool and Portugal striker Diogo Jota died in a car accident on Thursday in Spain, the Portuguese soccer federation announced. He was 28 years old.
The Portuguese player and his brother Andre, according to Spanish agency EFE, were killed in the crash on the Rias Bajas Highway near Palacios de Sanabria in Zamora, northwestern Spain. Jota had just gotten married less than two weeks ago.
“The Portuguese Futebol Federation and all Portuguese Futebol are completely devastated with the deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva this morning in Spain,” Portugal FA president, Dr. Pedro Proenca, said in a statement.
Jota signed for Liverpool in September 2020 from Wolverhampton for around $40 million. Since then, he scored a total of 65 goals in 182 games in all competitions with the Reds, winning among other trophies the 2024-25 Premier League and two UEFA Nations League trophies with Portugal.
“The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honored Portugal’s name, and his brother is unexpected and tragic. I extend my deepest condolences to their family. It is a sad day for football and for national and international sports,” Portugal prime minister Luis Montenegro said in a statement posted to social media.
CBS Sports will have more information as it becomes available.
