Liverpool star Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre have died after their £180,000 Lamborghini Huracan crashed on a Spanish motorway in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The tyre of the supercar is believed to have blown out while overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora – just ten miles from the Portuguese border.
The siblings were on a road trip to Santander to catch a ferry to Britain after Diogo was advised not to fly following lung surgery.
Police are investigating the cause of the fatal crash at approximately 12:35am.
Just two weeks ago Diogo married his childhood sweetheart Rute in a Catholic service in his home city of Porto.
Wreckage at the scene indicated the brothers were driving a Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder to the UK.
The vehicle costs around £180,000 before upgrades and has a top speed exceeding 200mph.
It can accelerate from 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds.
Police are examining the possibility the accident resulted from a blown tyre while the car attempted to overtake another vehicle.
The brothers were driving eastward along an isolated stretch of highway about an hour west of Zamora.
Spanish government official Ángel Blanco confirmed the siblings died at the scene.
Liverpool are due to start pre-season training on Monday, prompting Jota’s return journey to the UK.
He married childhood sweetheart Rute in Porto on June 22, less than two weeks before the tragedy.
Doctors reportedly advised the Liverpool star against flying after recent surgery, leading him to travel by ferry instead.
A Brittany Ferries service from Santander to Plymouth was scheduled to depart at 4pm Thursday, arriving in Devon Friday morning.
CNN Portugal’s sports editor Rui Loura said live on air: “The surgery he 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 by ferry,” Loura explained.
He was on his way to Liverpool with his brother.”
Portuguese journalist Victor Pinto told CMTV: “Diogo sometimes chose to travel by road because he had some pulmonary discomfort.
“There is a ferry boat that connects the south of England to Spain,” he added.
Jota died at age 28 after his Lamborghini careered off the road, devastating his family and the football world.
His brother Andre, his only sibling, was 26.
The supercar left the road, rolled and burst into flames around 12:35am, also igniting surrounding vegetation.
Emergency services were called but the brothers could not be saved.
Police say they don’t yet know who was driving.
Liverpool FC said in a statement the club is “devastated” by the tragedy.
The club described Diogo’s family, friends and fans as suffering an “unimaginable loss.”
Flowers and tributes are being laid outside Anfield today, with many fans in tears.
Jota had just married Rute Cardoso, 28, mother of his three children and partner since age 16.
He described himself as the luckiest man in the world to be her husband in his final Instagram post Wednesday afternoon.
The couple married on June 22 in Porto, the footballer’s home city.
Rute shared wedding pictures yesterday saying: “My dream come true.”
Jota replied in the comments: “I’m the lucky one.”
The crash occurred on the A-52 in Zamora province, a key route for drivers leaving northern Portugal.
Emergency services in Castilla and Leon confirmed the crash and two fatalities around 12:35am Thursday.
The Portuguese Football Federation confirmed Diogo and Andre’s deaths around 8am.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota’s friend and Portugal teammate, said: “It doesn’t make any sense.
“Just now we were together for the national team, you were just married,” Ronaldo wrote.
“To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world.”
“I know you will always be with them. RIP. Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.”
Diogo was born Diogo Silva but changed his surname to Jota to stand out.
His brother Andre kept the family name Silva.
The boys were the only children of parents Joaquim and Isabel Silva.
Jota was part of Liverpool’s Premier League-winning side in 2024/25, scoring six goals in 26 appearances.
He also played for Portugal’s national team, helping win the Nations League last month against Spain on penalties.
His younger brother played for Penafiel in Portuguese football’s second tier.
The Spanish civil guard confirmed he was found dead alongside brother Andre after their car left the road near Zamora.
Emergency services received multiple calls reporting the accident at Km 65 of the A-52 in Cernadilla municipality.
“A car was reported to have been involved in an accident and the vehicle was on fire,” officials stated.
Medical teams from Mombuey Health Center confirmed both deaths at the scene.
The tragedy comes just two weeks after Jota married long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso in Porto.
The Portuguese national team said they are “devastated” by Jota’s death.
He “was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person,” they said.
Liverpool posted on Instagram Thursday morning: “Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.
The club confirmed the 28-year-old died following a road traffic accident in Spain with his brother Andre.
“Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time,” the statement continued.
The club requested privacy for Diogo and Andre’s family as they process “an unimaginable loss.”
We will continue to provide them with our full support,” Liverpool added.
Portuguese Football Federation president Pedro Proenca confirmed the deaths in an official statement.
The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated,” he said.
“Much more than an amazing player, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person,” Proenca added.
He was “respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy.”
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