Diogo Jota’s surprising demise one 12 months on – motive for horror automotive crash and police assertion

Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva tragically lost their lives in a car crash one year ago as the anniversary of the devastating incident that rocked the football world is remembered

View 10 Images

It’s been a year since Liverpool ace Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva tragically died in a car accident in Spain as he was returning to Liverpool for pre-season.

Liverpool and the football world were heartbroken last year by the sudden loss of the 28-year-old on June 3, who had recently celebrated securing the Premier League title with the Reds. The Portugal international had just married his long-term partner, Rute, only 11 days before his death, and Jota’s wife recently posted his wedding speech on their anniversary.

His younger sibling Andre, 25, was also a professional footballer, playing for Portuguese club Penafiel. The brothers were en route to the Spanish city of Santander together, as Jota had been advised against flying post lung surgery.

JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page

The pair had intended to take an overnight ferry to England, aiming for Portsmouth. However, the Lamborghini Huracan that Jota was driving swerved off the road and crashed, igniting into a fireball.

His beloved Portugal beat Croatia in a dramatic and controversial World Cup round of 32 match on Thursday, on the eve of the anniversary of the brothers’ passing.

The Portugal team continued to wear wristbands throughout their World Cup journey in honour of their former team-mate Jota. And the late forward has also featured on stadium screens prior to the squad’s games, with his parents visibly moved by the heartfelt tribute. Following Cristiano Ronaldo and Co.’s win against Croatia, the team gathered for a photo with the Real Madrid and Manchester United icon holding a No.21 shirt in Jota’s honour.

Ronaldo broke down in tears after full-time as he wore a replica Jota shirt, he continued to wear the shirt into the post-game interview after winning the man of the match award.

He said: “We knew what does this date mean for us. We knew it. We won for Diogo, for us, for Portugal.

“We knew it before the game, it was such a special moment. We speak today before the game, our group, that the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable. It means a lot to us, not only because we won the game.”

Jota’s last competitive outing saw him lift the Nations League trophy with Portugal, and his wife, Rute, has disclosed that it was the striker’s dream to represent his nation at a World Cup. His international teammate Ruben Neves has revealed that he still sends WhatsApp messages to Jota to this day.

The Liverpool star’s death shocked the world, and details soon emerged about the reason for returning to England via ferry after surgery. Clarifying why Jota was travelling by car, CNN Portugal’s Rui Laura explained: “The surgery he had had was lung surgery, and he had been advised against flying following this.

“He was on his way to the northern Spanish port city of Santander to cross the ferry and reach the UK that way, and carry on with the car once he reached Britain. He was on his way to Liverpool with his brother.”

The police probe into the incident concluded that a tyre blowout had taken place while the Liverpool forward was trying to overtake another vehicle while “significantly exceeded the speed limit for the highway” on A-52, about 70 miles west of Valladolid. The car then left the road around 12.40am and burst into flames.

Firefighters, alongside emergency services and the Civil Guard, tackled the blaze, but it was confirmed that both occupants had perished. A statement from the Civil Guard in Zamora read: “The investigation into the crash is being carried out by Civil Guard traffic officers. We believe the car suffered a blowout from the marks on the road. The full police report, once it is completed, will be submitted to a duty court in Zamora, which has launched an ongoing judicial investigation into this crash.

“That report is going to take time to complete, probably about four or five days, but possibly longer. At this moment in time, it is impossible to say exactly what speed the car was going, but that is something the Civil Guard investigators will be able to detail at least approximately in their final report from things like the skid marks. What I can confirm is that no other vehicle was involved and no one else was hurt.”

Jota made 37 appearances for Liverpool throughout the 2024/25 season, bagging nine goals and providing four assists as he lifted the title just over one month earlier.

Portugal remaining in the hunt to win the ultimate prize so close to the anniversary of his death will be a moving moment for his national team, but manager Roberto Martinez has disclosed how the striker continues to inspire his team-mates.

“Diogo is our light,” Martinez told The Athletic ahead of the World Cup. “Diogo is our reference of wanting to do or needing to do what his dream was, which was winning titles for Portugal, like he did winning the Nations League. He was a big part of what we built in the dressing room.

“He wanted to win the World Cup, so it becomes a bit of a responsibility, an example, because Diogo was the pure example of believing in whatever could be possible, always with that tenacity, always finding the answer in the right moment in the difficult moment in the game.”