GONDOMAR, Portugal (AP) — Liverpool players joined family and friends for the funeral of their teammate Diogo Jota and his brother on Saturday, two days after the siblings died in a car crash in Spain.
The service will be held at Igreja Matriz church in the Portuguese town of Gondomar, where Jota had a home.
Portugal’s national team coach Roberto Martínez and several top Portuguese players also attended, including Manchester City duo Bernardo Silva and Rúben Dias and Manchester United’s Bruno Fernándes.
Jota, 28, and his brother, André Silva, 25, were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain early Thursday after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed on an isolated stretch of highway just after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames.
The brothers were reportedly heading to catch a boat from northern Spain to go to England where Jota was to rejoin with Liverpool after a summer break.
Spanish police are investigating the cause of the crash, which did not involve another vehicle, they said. They said they believe it could have been caused by a blown tire.
Their bodies were repatriated to Portugal after being identified by the family. A wake was held for them on Friday.
Jota’s death occurred two weeks after he married long-time partner Rute Cardoso while on vacation from a long season where he helped Liverpool win the Premier League. The couple had three children, the youngest born last year.
Jota was born in Porto but started his playing career as a child on nearby Gondomar.
Silva played for Portuguese club Penafiel in the lower divisions.
Their loss led to an outpouring of condolences from the soccer world and Portuguese officials.
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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
