Liverpool FC release statement after death of Diogo Jota aged 28

The footballer passed away in Spain last night

Local media reported that Jota died in a car accident in Zamora, Spain on the A-52 road at 12.30pm last night. He was travelling with his brother Andre, 26, who also died in the accident.

The Premier League club's statement reads: "The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.

"Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.

"We will continue to provide them with our full support."

It follows previous statements made by his former club Porto, where both Diogo and Andre Jota played in the academy, and the Portuguese National Side. Jota made 49 appearances for his country and scored 19 goals.

Originally posted in Portuguese, the Porto statement reads: "It is with shock and deep sorrow that we send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who was also our athlete in the youth ranks."

The official Twitter/X account for Portugal's national team also posted: "The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are utterly devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva this morning in Spain. Far beyond being an exceptional player, with nearly 50 caps for the National Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with a contagious joy and a reference within his own community. "

Official tributes to the two players will begin during the Portuguese Football Federation's next match, a tie with Spain during the Women's European Championship.

The statement added: "The Portuguese Football Federation has already requested UEFA to observe a minute of silence this Thursday before our National Team’s match against Spain in the Women’s European Championship. We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and André Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese Football, and we will do everything to honour their legacy daily."

Reports of the tragic incident have been confirmed by the Spanish Guardia Civil.

The police force have said: “The information we have so far is that the car, which was a Lamborghini, was in a road traffic accident and left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking.

“It was in the early hours, 00:30 BST, in the municipality of Cernadilla in the province of Zamora.

“The car caught on fire and the two occupants were killed.”

The awful news comes just a fortnight after Jota married his long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso in Porto.

Jota also has three children.

The Portuguese player joined Liverpool back in 2020 from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a fee around £40m.

He was coming off the back of a successful season with the Reds, winning the Premier League.

He also won the FA Cup and EFL Cup in the 2021/22 season.

Jota scored made 182 appearances for Liverpool and 131 appearances for Wolves.

He played 190 times in the Premier League.

More to follow this is a breaking news story.