Portuguese footballer Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, known as Diogo Jota, and his brother André died early on July 3, 2025, when their car veered off the A‑52 motorway near Cernadilla in Zamora province, Spain, and burst into flames, emergency services and regional officials reported.
Jota, 28, had married childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso on June 22, a few days before the crash, and the couple were parents to three young children; André, 26, was also a professional footballer.
Jota built a successful career in Europe after emerging from the youth systems at Gondomar and Paços de Ferreira. He made his professional debut in 2014, scoring 14 goals in 41 appearances before moving to Atlético Madrid in 2016—though he never featured competitively for the club, spending a season on loan at Porto before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017. At Wolves, he scored 17 goals to help secure promotion to the Premier League in 2017–18, eventually netting 44 in 131 Premier League appearances.
Liverpool signed Jota in September 2020 for approximately £41 million. Over five seasons, he scored 47 goals in 123 league matches and helped the club secure the 2024–25 Premier League title, FA Cup and League Cup. His contributions extended to the international stage, where he earned 49 caps for Portugal, scoring 14 goals and playing a role in their UEFA Nations League victories in 2019 and 2025 .
A versatile attacker and opportunist goal scorer, Jota was known for his ability to play across the forward line—whether as a winger, centre-forward, inside-forward or false nine—demonstrating clinical finishing, explosive pace, sharp dribbling, positional intelligence and defensive work rate. These attributes made him a tactical asset in demanding systems under managers at both Wolves and Liverpool.
Beyond football, Jota had a notable presence in esports. In February 2021, he ranked No. 1 globally in the FIFA 21 Champions Leaderboard on PlayStation with an unbeaten 30‑0 record. He also won the FIFA 20 ePremier League Invitational in 2020, defeating teammate Trent Alexander‑Arnold. In 2021 he founded his own esports outfit, Diogo Jota eSports—rebranded Luna Galaxy in partnership with Galaxy Racer in 2023—and streamed frequently on Twitch. He credited gaming with helping him mentally recover during injury periods.
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