CNN
—
Diogo Jota’s family and former Liverpool teammates gathered in Gondomar, Portugal on Saturday for the funeral of the late soccer star and his brother, André Silva.
Jota, 28, and his 25-year-old brother – who was also a professional footballer – died in a car crash in Spain early on Thursday morning, plunging the soccer world into mourning.
Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, with whom he shares three young children and who he married less than two weeks before the crash, was pictured embracing other mourners as she arrived at the chapel ahead of the service on Saturday morning.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and left back Andy Robertson led the tributes from Jota’s former club, carrying bunches of red flowers in the shape of the two brothers’ jerseys.
Figures from elsewhere in the soccer world, including Portugal and Manchester City star Rúben Dias and Portugal national team head coach Roberto Martínez, were also in Gondomar, near Porto, on Saturday morning.
The funeral on Saturday comes after a wake for the brothers’ family was held on Friday morning at a church in their hometown of Gondomar, the church told CNN. It added that the doors at the Igreja Martiz de Gondomar were open to the public on Friday afternoon.
Friday also saw tributes continue to pour in from around the world. In the Club World Cup, moments of silence were held before the games, with Al-Hilal duo Rúben Neves and João Cancelo, as well as Chelsea winger Pedro Neto – all former teammates of Jota’s with the Portugal national team – all looking visibly emotional.
British rock band Oasis also honored Jota, dedicating their song “Live Forever” to the 28-year-old during their reunion concert in Cardiff, Wales.
In London, Portuguese tennis players Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges, who were competing at Wimbledon, were given permission by organizers to stray from the tournament’s strict all-white dress code to honor Jota, they told reporters, including CNN, on Friday.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
