Liverpool release official statement following Diogo Jota’s death

Liverpool have released an official statement following the tragic death of forward Diogo Jota.

The Portugal international died in a car accident alongside his brother, Andre Silva, also a professional footballer.

The BBC reports that the tragic event happened about 00:30 local time on Thursday in the Spanish province of Zamora.

Their car, ‘a Lamborghini, left the road due to a tyre blow-out while overtaking another vehicle and then caught fire’.

Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso last month. He posted a picture of his wife and three children at the ceremony on his social media account.

Jota helped Liverpool win the Premier League last season, scoring six goals in 26 games.

He also featured for Portugal as they beat Spain on penalties to win the Nations League last month. He replaced Chelsea’s Pedro Neto in extra time during the fixture.

In a statement released by the Merseyside outfit, the club confirmed the tragic incident and promised to keep supporting the family of their former forward.

“The club have been informed that the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.

“Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.

“We will continue to provide them with our full support.”

Jota joined the Reds from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2020 in a deal worth £45 million, including add-ons.

He had a brilliant debut campaign at Anfield. He was the first Liverpool player to score in his first four home league matches. He also netted the club’s 10,000th goal.

Jota made 182 appearances for Liverpool, registering 65 goals and 26 assists.