Liverpool forward Diogo Jota was under doctor's orders to avoid flying at the time he and his brother Andre Silva died in a car accident in July. The siblings passed away near the town of Zamora following a tyre blowout.
Jota, who would have turned 29 on Thursday, had recently celebrated Liverpool's Premier League title win and Portugal's Nations League triumph. He married Rute Cardoso just 11 days before the accident.
The 28-year-old was travelling with his brother, 25, a professional footballer for Penafiel, to the UK for Liverpool's pre-season training. Jota had been advised not to fly after undergoing lung surgery. They planned to drive to Santander, Spain, to catch a ferry to Portsmouth.
Liverpool described Jota's death as 'an unimaginable loss' in a club statement. The squad met for pre-season days after the tragedy. Andy Robertson later said he was overcome with emotion thinking about Jota after helping Scotland qualify for the World Cup.
