Cristiano Ronaldo pays tribute to Diogo Jota with his shirt after the victory against Croatia; remember accident that killed Portuguese player

Cristiano Ronaldo wears Diogo Jota's shirt after victory against Croatia
Reuters/John E Sokolowski
Player Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to striker Diogo Jota after the 2-1 victory against Croatia, this Thursday (2). Jota was a striker for the Portuguese national team and died on July 3, 2025 in an accident in Spain.
The accident occurred in the province of Zamora, in the northeast of Spain, during the early morning hours local time (late Wednesday night Brasília time). (See more details about the accident below)
Jota was 28 years old and at the height of his career: he won the English Championship with Liverpool and the Nations League with Portugal, in April and June, respectively. See more below about who he was and his career as a player.
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Who was Diogo Jota
Who was Diogo Jota, the Portuguese player killed in a car accident in Spain
Forward Diogo Jota celebrates the European Nations League title won by Portugal on June 9, 2025 in the final played against Spain
Annegret Hilse/Reuters
Diogo José Teixeira da Silva was born in December 1996 in Porto, in the central region of Massarelos. He began his career with the Paços de Ferreira team, which currently competes in the Portuguese second division, and made his professional debut in 2014, at the age of 17.
Jota played for Porto, for Wolverhampton, in England, until arriving at Liverpool, in 2020, during the pandemic. At the English giant, he enjoyed the peak of his career and won an English Championship, an FA Cup and two English League Cups.
During his professional career, Jota played 447 matches and scored 150 goals. Jota's last goal was in a derby against Everton, Liverpool's rival team, in April.
Frequently called up for the Portuguese national team, Jota won the Nations League last month, in a final against Spain decided on penalties after a 2-2 draw - this was his last match. The striker scored 14 goals in 47 games for the Portuguese national team.
Jota had gotten married less than two weeks ago, on June 22. He leaves behind a wife and three children, aged 4 years, 2 years and a six-month-old baby.
Car accident
Video shows images from the scene of the accident that killed player Diogo Jota in Spain
Spanish authorities gave details, during the morning of this Thursday, about the accident. According to the Spanish Civil Guard, the car where Jota and his brother André were traveling left the road after the tire burst.
André, who was 26 years old, was also a football player and played as a striker for Penafiel, a Portuguese second division team.
In a statement, the guard stated that the vehicle was traveling along the A-52, Spain's national highway, near the Sanabria region. During an overtaking, one of the tires burst, throwing the car off the track, which then caught fire.
According to authorities, the two died at the scene.
"A vehicle left the road on the sidewalk on the left. The investigation points to a traffic accident due to a tire bursting during overtaking. As a result of the accident, the car caught fire, and both occupants died," the Civil Guard said in a statement. Authorities are awaiting the results of forensic examinations at the scene, but only Diogo Jota and his brother were in the car.
According to CNN Portugal, Diogo Jota and his brother were traveling part of a trip between Portugal and the United Kingdom. They were going by car because Jota had recently undergone lung surgery, and doctors advised against him traveling by plane.
There was still no information about what caused the tire to explode until the last update of this report. The local vice-mayor, Ángel Blanco García, said that the bodies would be subjected to DNA identification.
The Portuguese Football Federation lamented the death of the two athletes. See below:
The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese Football are completely devastated by the death of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, this morning, in Spain.
Much more than the fantastic player, with almost 50 caps for the National Team A, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all his colleagues and opponents, someone with contagious joy and a reference in his own community.
The Portuguese Football Federation expresses its most Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Diogo and André Silva, as well as to Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs where, respectively, the players played.
The Portuguese Football Federation has already asked UEFA for 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 disappearance of Diogo and André Silva represent irreparable losses for Portuguese Football and we will do everything we can to honor their legacy every day.
Map shows the place where player Diogo Jota suffered a car accident on July 3, 2025. He and his brother died at the scene.
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Source: G1