Family, friends and current and former teammates have gathered to pay their respects to Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, whose funerals were held in Gondomar, Portugal, on Saturday morning.
Jota, 28, and, André, 25, were killed in a car crash near Zamora, Spain, in the early hours of Thursday.
Liverpool players, including Virgil van Dijk, Darwin Núñez, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, and manager Arne Slot were met with applause from local residents before walking into the chapel on Friday night.
They then arrived on Saturday morning for the funeral.
Portugal coach Roberto Martinez was also in attendance.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the country’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, were among the dignitaries that had attended Friday’s wake at the Sao Cosme chapel in Gondomar.
Ahead of the funeral the two coffins were then transferred to the Matriz de Gondomar church, which is located 33 kilometres from Porto.
Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva, Manchester United’s Diogo Dalot and Nottingham Forest’s Jota Silva, Portugal teammates of Jota, and ex-Liverpool players Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara were seen at the wake.
A Liverpool delegation, which included club chief executive Billy Hogan, sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO of football for Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group Michael Edwards, were also present. FC Porto president Andre Villas-Boas was among the members of Portugal’s football clubs at the gathering.
ESPN reported Friday that Liverpool’s players would also be travelling to Portugal for Saturday’s funeral.
Following the wake, the two coffins were carried to the nearby Matriz de Gondomar church for Saturday’s funeral.
Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso — the mother of his three children — was accompanied by family members as she entered the church where the service was held. Jota and Rute had married in Porto on June 22 after knowing each other since they were children.
The parents of the footballers were also present as was Jota’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who travelled to Zamora to be with the players’ family.
Portugal’s Football Federation (FPF) president Pedro Proença travelled to Gondomar to pay his respects to Jota and his brother.
“It is a very sad moment for Portuguese football, but the strength of football and Diogo, as well as his entire family, brings the entire football community together,” Proença said before the funeral. “He was a figure who stood far above Portuguese identity and what it represents.
“It is a family that has been anchored by this accident, and I ask for respect. Football is truly in mourning, Diogo was an icon. Portuguese football must respect the family’s pain.”
Tributes to Jota and his brother have poured in, while thousands of fans have made their way to Anfield stadium to pay their respects to the Liverpool forward.
Jota made 182 appearances for Liverpool since joining from Wolverhampton Wonderers in 2020. He lifted the Premier League title in May, having previously won the FA Cup and two Carabao Cups in his five years at the club.
He earned 49 caps for Portugal and recently won the UEFA Nations League, having previously done so in 2019. Silva played with Portuguese club Penafiel in the Portuguese lower divisions.
