Spain 28-year-old Liverpool and Portugal striker Diogo Jota and his brother died in a traffic accident in Zamora today.
The incident occurred on a bend on the A‑52 motorway in Cernadilla, Zamora province in western Spain. According to local rescue services, they received multiple calls about the incident at around 00:35 on July 3, Madrid time. Jota and his brother’s car suffered a tire blowout, causing them to lose control, flip several times and catch fire.
Immediately, the Zamora Provincial Traffic Police, Fire Department, the Medical Emergency Unit (UME) and medical staff from the Mombuey Health Center were mobilized. But both Jota and his brother died at the scene.
The Jota brothers are believed to be returning from vacation, or perhaps traveling between tourist destinations in Spain. Diogo Jota had been married to his long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso for just 10 days. The Jotas already have three children. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Diogo Jota – a fantastic player, team-mate and lovely man,” Liverpool said on their official website. Fans set up a makeshift memorial outside Anfield.
On social networks, Jota’s teammates in the Portuguese national team such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes also expressed their deep condolences to the 28-year-old striker and his younger brother. Jota was born on December 4, 1996. He grew up in the academy of Portuguese club Pacos Ferreira, before being recruited by Atletico Madrid, then sent to Porto on loan. In the summer of 2017, Wolves recruited Jota on a one-year loan with a $16.6 million buyout clause, and then activated this clause just half a year later. In his first season with Wolves, Jota scored 17 goals in the First Division, helping the club win a ticket to the Premier League.
Jota (in yellow) scores during Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in the second leg of the English League Cup semi-final at Emirates Stadium,
London on January 20, 2022. Photo: Reuters Jota continued to impress, then joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 for a fee of 58 million USD. He played 182 matches for the Anfield team, scored 65 goals and had 26 assists. Jota won three titles in the Liverpool season: the 2024-2025 Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup (both in the 2021-2022 season). For the Portuguese national team, he played 49 matches and scored 14 goals. Jota won the UEFA Nations League twice with the team in the 2018-2019 and 2024-2025 seasons.
