Soccer icons attend funeral of Diogo Jota and his sibling, his family members in attendance
In the quiet town of Gondomar, near Porto, Portugal, the Mother Church was filled to capacity on a sombre Saturday, as the football world gathered to pay their respects to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically lost their lives in a car crash in Spain the previous Thursday.
The funeral, which was open to the public in the afternoon, was a poignant display of grief and solidarity. The Liverpool squad, visibly distraught, led the tributes from Jota's former club, with captain Virgil van Dijk and left-back Andy Robertson at the forefront.
The Liverpool team was not alone in their mourning. Teammates and significant figures from across the soccer world, including Roberto Martínez (head coach of Portugal's national team), Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva (Manchester City stars), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United captain), and João Félix (Chelsea forward) were all in attendance.
Other members of the Liverpool team, such as Alexis Mac Allister, Darwin Núñez, Ibrahima Konaté, Arne Slot (the team's manager), and Michael Edwards (CEO), also attended the emotional ceremony. The Liverpool family was joined by the Al-Hilal duo of Neves and João Cancelo, as well as Chelsea winger Pedro Neto, who looked visibly emotional during the moments of silence.
The bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda, delivered an emotional homily at the funeral, reflecting on the lives of the two brothers and their impact on the football community. The funeral was followed by a wake for the family on Friday morning at a church in their hometown.
Thousands of fans also gathered at Anfield stadium to honour Diogo Jota's memory, underscoring his importance to the club and its supporters. Moments of silence were held before games at the Club World Cup in honour of Jota, while British rock band Oasis dedicated their song "Live Forever" to him during their reunion concert in Cardiff, Wales.
Portuguese tennis players Francisco Cabral and Nuno Borges, who were competing at Wimbledon, were given permission to stray from the tournament's strict all-white dress code to honour Jota. Rúben Neves, a Portugal star and Jota's former teammate with the national team and with Wolverhampton Wanderers, was among the pallbearers.
The intense emotional scene at the funeral highlighted not only personal loss but also the wider football fraternity's solidarity during this tragic time. Roberto Martínez stated that the day was a demonstration of the soccer community being a large but close family. As the football world continues to mourn, the memory of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva will live on, not just on the pitch, but in the hearts of those who knew them.
On that sorrowful day at the Mother Church, the soccer world was in attendance, showing their support for the Liverpool squad as they mourned the loss of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. The somber atmosphere was not exclusive to Jota's former club, as international soccer stars such as Roberto Martínez, Rúben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and João Félix paid their respects.
