'What a sad news' - Rafael Nadal mourns Diogo Jota's tragic passing in car crash

Premier league footballer Diogo Jota died in a car accident with his brother Andre Silva.

In a news that shook the entire sporting community, Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, and his brother Andre Silva, a professional player for Portuguese side Penafiel, have died in a tragic car crash in Spain. Jota, just 28 years old, and his 25-year-old brother Silva tragically veered off the road while trying to overtake a car and crashed, causing their vehicle to catch fire, local authorities confirmed.

According to local police, the accident took place at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday on the A-52, a 400 km highway connecting Madrid to Galicia in northwestern Spain, near the province of Zamora close to the Portuguese border.

All major Premier League clubs, including Manchester United Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City, joined Liverpool and the wider football world in mourning the tragic death of Liverpool forward, who had recently married and leaves behind his wife Rute and three children.

Also Read: Diogo Jota dead: Full details

Tributes poured in from across football, with clubs, players, and fans expressing shock and heartbreak at the loss of a player who made 182 appearances for Liverpool and was instrumental in their recent successes, including the 2025 Premier League title.

Joining them was also 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who was the first from the tennis fraternity to extend his condolences. As a huge fan of football himself, the Spaniard would be highly grieved to hear this unfortunate news.

Nadal took to Instagram and posted a story (translated from Spanish to English), “What sad news. All my love, affection and support to his wife, children, his family and friends at this difficult time. Rest in peace Diogo Jota and Andre Silva.”

Jota joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 for a transfer fee of 44.7m Euros and went on to lift three titles with the Premier League club, including the Premier League last season. He was part of the Liverpool side that finished runners-up in the UEFA Champions League in 2021-22 season.

The defending champions released a statement over the forward’s passing and said they were “devastated” by this “unimaginable loss” and would “continue to provide full support” to the grieving family, friends and teammates.

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