Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota spoke on the phone with the president of his boyhood club, Gondomar SC, just hours before his tragic death in a car crash. Club president Alvaro Cerqueira told Portuguese newspaper JN that Jota was 'going through a happy moment' during the call, which took place around 10pm on Wednesday evening.
The 28-year-old Reds star and his 26-year-old brother Andre Silva died in the early hours of Thursday morning after a fatal car accident on the A-52 motorway in Zamora province, Spain. The pair were travelling to the port of Santander to catch a ferry back to England after Jota had been advised not to fly following recent lung surgery. Their Lamborghini veered off the road at 12:30am local time, reportedly due to a tyre blowout while overtaking, and caught fire.
Cerqueira, who spoke to Jota regularly, said: 'We spoke almost every week, and I know he was going through a happy moment. When Diogo needed to train during the off-season, he would ask to come here, and we would always make everything available. His brother would usually come too, and they would both train. It is difficult to talk at a time like this, but what will remain is the image of two very humble people, who leave a huge void.'
Jota, who started his career at Gondomar at age nine, had recently married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children. The funeral for both brothers is scheduled for 10am on Saturday, with a wake at Sao Cosme Chapel followed by a service at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar.
Tributes have poured in from across the football world. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk wrote on Instagram: 'Man, I can't believe it, I don't wanna believe it. Absolutely devastated and in total disbelief. What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man. ... I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family. A champion forever, number 20 forever.' Mourners have gathered at Anfield, leaving flowers and tokens of admiration.
