Diogo Jota had reportedly been advised not to fly following minor surgery and was travelling by road when he and his younger brother André Silva died in a car crash in Zamora, Spain.
According to BBC Sport, the Liverpool forward was using a ferry from Santander to return for pre-season training.
From there, he began the long drive south across Spain, avoiding air travel on medical advice. His Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout near the town of Palacios de Sanabria and veered off the road before catching fire. Both brothers died at the scene.
Zamora, located close to the Portuguese border, sits roughly 300 kilometres from both Porto and Santander—two cities that had formed part of Jota’s travel route.
It’s understood he had made the same journey in reverse only days earlier to attend his wedding in Porto, where he married longtime partner Rute Cardoso.
Jota had been easing his way back into routine, preparing to rejoin his Liverpool teammates after what should have been a summer to remember. Instead, a precaution taken for his recovery has now become a tragic footnote to his final journey.
Authorities have confirmed that the crash occurred shortly after midnight, with the car reportedly losing control while overtaking another vehicle. The tyre burst is believed to have caused the loss of control.
