The fulfillment of Diogo Jota’s professional dreams have been revealed in a tear-jerking tribute by Liverpool to the ‘Reds’ number 20′ after his tragic death.
The Portuguese died on Thursday alongside his brother when his Lamborghini had a tyre blow out while overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora – just ten miles over the border from Portugal.
The car is said to have rolled and burst into flames, with emergency services unable to save the footballing duo. Jota’s brother, Andre Silva, 26, played for Portuguese second division side Penafiel.
Jota and Silva were headed to Santander to catch a ferry to Britain after Diogo was advised not to fly following lung surgery, it was reported in his home country.
Jota played 182 games for Liverpool and was part of the Premier League title-winning squad from last season under Arne Slot. His five years at Anfield followed a three-year stint with Wolves, where he first made his mark on English football.
An emotional tribute to the 28-year-old by the Anfield club features an interview conducted with the club last month, in which he tells of his joy at winning the top flight and pride of playing for the Reds and hearing fans sing his song.
The fulfillment of Diogo Jota ‘s professional dreams have been revealed in a heartbreaking tribute by Liverpool to the ‘Reds’ number 20′
The Portuguese was part of the Liverpool side that lifted the Premier League title last season
Jota’s last goal for the Reds was the winner in the April Merseyside victory over Everton
‘When I was a kid, I wanted to play in the Premier League,’ said Jota. ‘I didn’t even imagine winning it, I just wanted to be there.
‘I fulfilled my dream when I played for Wolverhampton. But then when you achieve a dream, you unlock another phase, anothe level, another step. And when I came to Liverpool I knew that was possible.’
Liverpool’s touching tribute video was intercut with footage of some of Jota’s most memorable moments at the club. Among them included his debut goal against Arsenal in 2020, his dramatic winner in a 4-3 victory over Tottenham in 2023 and his winning goal in the Reds’ 1-0 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby in April.
On his song that will forever be immortalised on the Kop, he continued: ‘It’s an unbelievable song that makes me proud.
‘I think they know that with me they will have the minimum requirements to represent Liverpool.’
He added: ‘To arrive at this season with a title that I have been chasing for a lot of years in the best league in the world, where I dreamt of playing as a kid, and finally we did it.
‘It’s a moment I will cherish forever.’
Jota’s untimely death sent shockwaves through the footballing world on Thursday. Throughout the day, back in Liverpool, fans gathered in their hundreds to lay and pay their own tributes to the 28-year-old.
Jota and his wife Rute Cardoso have three children, pictured on the Anfield pitch in May after winning the Premier League
One group of fans gathered to sing Liverpool’s traditional ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ song, aiming it at the forward, while another striking image showed two men – one in a Liverpool shirt and one an Everton shirt – walking with flowers to lay them down.
Doctors had reportedly advised Jota not to catch a plane after a recent operation, so he was getting a boat back to England instead.
A Brittany Ferries service from Santander to Plymouth left at 4pm BST on Thursday, arriving in Devon at 11.15am on Friday.
According to Record, Jota and new wife Rute attended a friend’s wedding over the weekend and had been celebrating together.
The lamborghini crash happened on the A-52 in the province of Zamora. The Spanish dual carriageway is a key route taken by drivers after leaving northern Portugal as they head for the ports of Santander and Bilbao or drive north-east towards France.
Emergency services in the Castilla and Leon region confirmed the crash and two fatalities at around 12.35am on Thursday. Diogo and Andre’s deaths were then confirmed by the Portuguese Football Federation at around 8am.
Wreckage at the scene suggested the brothers were driving to the UK in a Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder.
The Reds’ tribute video, titled ‘Our lad from Portugal. Forever’, concludes with the Portuguese remarking on the importance of the city to him and his family. Jota married his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his three children, Rute Cardoso, last week.
THe Reds star and his brother Andre died on Thursday following a crash in northwestern Spain
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‘Mu three kids were born here,’ he added. ‘It’s changed my life completely. The way everybody supported me from the very first day.
‘I’m really grateful to all the people in the club and the fans for making this happen. It is a remarkable achievement for a small guy that came from Gondomar where I had this dream.
‘And to write these moments, it was outstanding.’
