Mourners are set to gather to honour Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota at a wake in Portugal on Friday morning, a local parish priest has said.
The 28-year-old father of three, who had married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso just 11 days ago, died in a car crash in Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva after a Lamborghini they were travelling in veered off the road and burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout.
The pair were found dead following the crash on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora at 12.40am on Thursday.
Jose Manuel Macedo, parish priest at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in Sao Cosme, told the PA news agency in a translated message that a wake for the brothers will take place at 8am local time at the nearby Capela da Ressurreicao before their funeral at the Igreja Matriz on Saturday at 10am.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said the “sense of shock is absolute” for the club.
“Diogo was not just our player,” he said.
“He was a loved one to all of us.
“I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it. Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals.
“The essence of what a Liverpool player should be.”
Slot said the player “never sought popularity” but gained it anyway and was a friend to everyone, able to make others feel good about themselves “just by being with them”.
[ Diogo Jota’s footballing talent, heart and will should be cherished after senseless deathOpens in new window ]
He said the last time they spoke he wished Jota luck for his upcoming wedding.
“In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this,” Slot added.
He recalled learning, when he first came to the club, of the song Liverpool fans sang for Jota and said he knew “straight away” that meant the player must have “special qualities”.
“When the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and we will sing his song,” Slot said.
“For the time being, we will remember him as a unique human being and mourn his loss. He will never be forgotten.”
