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Hello. We’re waking up to news of the death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota. The football world is in shock.

Details of a dreadful tragedy have emerged in the past few hours. We’re bringing you the facts, and the first tributes to him.

Diogo Jota’s tragic death shocks the world

This is one of those sentences you can’t believe you’re typing. In the early hours of this morning, Diogo Jota, Liverpool’s Portuguese forward, died in a road traffic accident in Spain.

He was 28. His brother, Andre Silva, pictured below, was with him in the car and suffered fatal injuries, too.

(Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

It’s impossible to comprehend the news, or the shock the tragedy is causing. Jota was a footballer in his prime: a Premier League title-winner at Anfield and one of Portugal’s finest internationals. He’s a father of three and he and his partner, Rute Cardoso, married a matter of days ago. There’s so much to take in.

The facts around the accident are only just coming to light, but initial details have been forthcoming from the Guardia Civil — the Spanish local police — in Zamora, the province of north-west Spain where Jota and his brother were killed. This is what we know:

The car they were travelling in left the road and caught fire shortly after midnight last night. The incident occurred on the A-52, a highway near the town of Cernadilla, shown on our map below.
In a statement, Liverpool said they were trying to “come to terms with an unimaginable loss”. Jota’s Portugal team-mate, Cristiano Ronaldo, posted on X in the past hour, writing: “It doesn’t make sense. R.I.P. Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.” The country’s prime minister, Luis Montenegro, described Jota as “an athlete who greatly honored Portugal’s name”. Jota’s former club, Porto, said they were “in mourning”.
Andre Silva was 26 and a footballer in his own right. He appeared for Porto as a youth-team player and was a current first-team midfielder with FC Penafiel, a team in Portugal’s second tier.

This story will be the focus of the sport’s attention in the days and weeks ahead. It’s a devastating loss which the brothers’ family, Liverpool and others who crossed paths with them will struggle to take in.

Jota was the player who wore shirt number 20 in the year Liverpool became English champions for the 20th time — a talent who had hit his peak.

The sport loses a Premier League title-winner

Jota’s reputation went before him, but for those who don’t know his history, he grew up in Porto and turned professional with Pacos de Ferreira, one of the lesser-known clubs in his homeland. Atletico Madrid signed him in 2016, but it was a loan to Porto and then another to Wolverhampton Wanderers that made his stock soar.

As a Leeds United correspondent, I watched Jota play for Wolves in the English Championship during the 2017-18 season. He was the definition of a cheat code: an athlete with Champions League ability pulling strings in the second division. Jota flourishing with Wolves in the Premier League was inevitable. So was a transfer to the big time at Liverpool.

The club paid £45m ($61.5m) to sign him from Wolves in 2020. The fee came to represent a bargain deal for an attacker who subsequently made 182 appearances and scored 65 goals. Fitness issues restricted him to 14 Premier League starts last season, but the contribution he was able to make helped Liverpool win the division by a 10-point margin.

There were other successes, too: an FA Cup and an EFL Cup with Liverpool, and two Nations Leagues titles with Portugal, the most recent of them won just last month. He had amassed 49 caps internationally. Liverpool are scheduled to start pre-season training next week and you can only imagine the sense of disbelief there.

The Athletic will be across developments as the day goes on. Keep a watch on our website for further updates. The loss of Jota is a dark moment that leaves a gaping hole in so many quarters.

(Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Your tributes

Our readers are understandably stunned. Here, I’ve picked out some of the most touching eulogies:

“From marrying his wife to this in only a couple of days… I’m lost for words. Thoughts and condolences to his loved ones and Liverpool FC; this is a very sad day for anyone who loves football.” — Arve G
“Despite being a (Manchester) United fan, I always had a soft spot for Diogo Jota. Seemed a really likeable guy and an underrated player. More than that, he had a new bride, three young kids and however many friends and family. Was obviously close with his poor brother, too. Hit me hard, this one.” — Adam C
“That final goal for us, the winner against Everton, what a classic Jota finish it was. That’ll be my lasting memory of him.” — Mark B
“Taken way, way too early. To my eyes, he was one of the most interesting footballers in the Premier League and destined for an interesting life beyond the game.” — Lisaversaci
“Totally shocked by this. Amazing how one tragedy — amongst everything in the news — can cut through. And though it shouldn’t matter… an excellent footballer.” — Ben S
The Gold Cup final is set

(Bill Barrett/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)

In light of today’s tragedy, it’s difficult to afford the Concacaf Gold Cup much significance, but the semi-finals were settled last night. With the exception of 2000, when Canada came from nowhere, every Gold Cup has gone one way or the other: to Mexico or the USMNT. And here we are again.

Half of Guatemala descended on St. Louis’ Energizer Park last night, but two sharp finishes from Diego Luna saw the U.S. hold their nerve and push on to the final. Out west, in California, Mexico took care of Honduras with a goal from Raul Jimenez (who else?).

Tim Ream, the USMNT captain, had strong words for critics of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad afterwards. “We’re on to a final I’d say a month ago everyone basically counted us out of,” Ream said. “Shame on them.” Pochettino was more circumspect, saying soccer in the U.S. still had some way to go in truly embracing the torment of defeat. “That’s an important thing we have to learn,” he said.

Sunday’s final in Houston is key for Poch. Mexico are hardened campaigners who won’t roll over. It’s the USMNT’s last big fixture before the 2026 World Cup, and time to deliver. An eighth Gold Cup would encourage belief that on home soil next year, they won’t merely be padding the tournament out.

News round-up
Ticket Prices for the Club World Cup quarter-finals appear to be plummeting. The cheapest are yours for $11.15 (£8.17) — which, to be fair, is a total bargain.
The Jonathan David wait is over. After months of speculation about where the Canada striker would go from Lille, he’s in the process of sealing a free transfer to Juventus. That ticks the right boxes on all sides
Joao Pedro completed his £50m transfer from Brighton to Chelsea yesterday. It’s another long, long Stamford Bridge contract, running to 2032.
Sunderland’s recruitment in preparation for their first season back in the Premier League is getting interesting. After arranging a club-record deal for Habib Diarra, they’re poised to pay £17.5m for another midfielder, Noah Sadiki, from Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise. He’s quality.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been named as Liverpool’s assistant manager. The club have a new goalkeeping coach, too, replacing Brazilian legend Claudio Taffarel.
Further to our story about Sheffield Wednesday, the English players’ union — the Professional Footballers’ Association — is warning that the likelihood of squad members terminating their contracts in protest over late wages is extremely high. Watch this space.
Rose Lavelle had her set pieces on strings as the USWNT beat Canada 3-0 last night. Safe to say she’s fully over her ankle injury.

(Top photo: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)