A HEARTBREAKING GOODBYE: What Really Happened at Diogo Jota’s Wake as Fans, Teammates, and Family Gather to H0nor His Life After Tra:gic C:rash

Although the tributes are still being paid in Portugal and at Anfield, we are going to say farewell for now after what has been another emotional and sad day.

We’ll be back tomorrow to bring you all the news and updates from the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother, both where it is being held in Portugal and at Anfield, where respects are still being paid.

See you next time.

Of course, needless to say, the tragedy of Jota’s passing transcends football. It goes well beyond rivalries between clubs and cities.

Led by Toffees forward Beto, representatives from Everton Football Club arrived at Anfield earlier this afternoon to pay their respects – placing flowers alongside the thousands of tributes already laid out in honour of the Liverpool forward.

The whole of Merseyside is hurting…

Our man in Portugal CHRIS MATTHEWS reports after speaking to locals who have attended Diogo Jota’s wake to pay their respects:

Gondomar local Nevita always wanted to see Diogo Jota play but never got the chance.

The Gondomar local, a keen footballer himself, wore a Portugal football top as he came to pay his respects today.

He told MailOnline:

When I heard the news, I was incredibly shocked. I thought that it was a lie.

‘When I realised that it actually happened, I was very sad because I really like him as a football player.

I wish I could have seen in real life. I would like to give a hug to everyone who loved him, to his family.’

He said locals in Gondomar were shocked by what happened.

Nevita said he planned to stay by the church during the wake today and will return tomorrow for the two brothers’ funerals.

Diogo Jota’s agent Jorge Mendes has arrived at the Sao Cosme Chapel to pay his respects, pictured in a black car below.

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest’s Portuguese star Jota Silva has also turned up to honour his compatriot at the wake, carrying a bouquet of white flowers.

MailOnline’s CHRIS MATTHEWS reports from Portugal:

The mood outside the church of Sao Cosme in Gondomar, near Porto, is one of respectful silence and contemplation.

It is believed the bodies of Diogo Jota and his brother Andrea Silva are in the Chapel of Rest, which is behind the main church.

There is a high police presence and officers have started to tape off roads and install barriers near the church.

Even on the streets beyond, in the restaurants and cafes of this Porto suburb, the mood is subdued.

Families sheltering from the 31C heat in air-conditioned cafes are quiet. Some are even sitting in silence.

At the chapel of rest, three luxury cars are parked outside, and mourners in black suits and white shirts have been seen making their way back and forth between the two chapels.

Liverpool FC has delayed the start of its pre-season and it is understood the players are making their way to Portugal for their teammate’s funeral.

What makes this tragedy all the more devastating is that Diogo Jota tied the knot with his childhood sweetheart partner Rute Cardoso less than two weeks before the fatal car crash.

The beautiful couple posted several photographs and updates from their wedding on social media just days before his death, tragically and brutally representing how fragile life can be.

Mail Sport’s IAN HERBERT takes a closer look at the couple’s relationship and how it seemed so flawless and perfect ahead of the Liverpool star’s tragic death.

Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota had been team-mates at Liverpool since the latter’s arrival at the club in 2020.

In total, Salah and Jota played 151 matches together for Liverpool and combined for goals on 19 occasions.

Salah wrote on X…

‘I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break. Team mates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back.

‘My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children. Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten.’

Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson fought back tears as he laid flowers and a Liverpool scarf at Anfield in tribute of his ex-team-mate Diogo Jota.

The pair played alongside one another for three seasons at Merseyside following Jota’s arrival from Wolves in 2020.

On Friday, Henderson – now playing for Dutch giants Ajax – made the trip to Anfield to pay his respects to his former colleague after his tragic death. The veteran midfielder, fighting back tears, looked distraught as he joined the legions of Liverpool fans that have paid tribute to the 28-year-old.

The England international left a heartfelt note to his former team-mate in the bouquet he brought to the site, reading: ‘Rest in peace my friend, along with your brother Andre. We will all miss you. Love Hendo + family.’

Liverpool have cancelled the phased return of players for pre-season training as they continue to mourn the death of forward Diogo Jota.

The first group of Arne Slot’s squad were scheduled to attend the club’s AXA training complex on Friday for the opening round of physical tests after their summer break.

However, it is understood that has been postponed as the club deals with the aftermath of the shocking tragedy which saw 28-year-old Jota and his brother Andre Silva killed in a car crash in Spain in the early hours of Thursday.

The fulfillment of Diogo Jota’s professional dreams have been revealed in a tear-jerking tribute by Liverpool to the ‘Reds’ number 20′ after his tragic death.

An emotional tribute to the 28-year-old by the Anfield club features an interview conducted with the club last month, in which he tells of his joy at winning the top flight and pride of playing for the Reds and hearing fans sing his song.

Mail Sport’s Tara Anson-Walsh was at Portugal Women’s Euro 2025 group-stage encounter against Spain Women last night. A match that was overshadowed by the events of Jota and his brother Andre Silva’s deaths.

They moved through the streets in silence, placards held high declaring their love for Liverpool’s No 20.

The drummer at the front of the troop refrained from using his instrument and the people refrained from using their voices. There were no words readily available to articulate their sense of loss, and so they gathered to pay their respects in unspoken unity instead.

The news of Diogo Jota’s death had sent shockwaves through the footballing world, but nowhere were the reverberations felt more acutely than among the Portuguese fans gathered in Bern for the Women’s European Championship opening group stage game between Spain and Portugal.

‘It’s so new, it’s hard to believe it’s real,’ one fan outside the Wankdorf Stadium, wearing a bucket hat embroidered with the Portuguese flag, told Mail Sport.

They may have been heading to a women’s match, but this was a moment where the entire football community stood together as one.

Wimbledon’s strict all-white dressing code has stood for 148 years, but Portuguse tennis star Francisco Cabral has been permitted to sport a black armband in memory of his compatriot Jota today.

In SW19, the All England Club announced they would relax their stringent rules for players wishing to pay tribute on-court – and Cabral opted to do just that, having heard of the footballer’s tragic death en route to his doubles clash with Jamie Murray and Rajeev Ram.

Speaking to Mail Sport, he revealed he didn’t know Jota personally but knew him through a mutual friend and said he was a ‘great guy’.

Mail Sport’s TAMARA PRENN reports from Wimbledon.

Marc Cucurella told Pedro Neto that he believes it is his ‘destiny’ to score in their Club World Cup quarter-final versus Palmeiras on Friday in honour of Diogo Jota.

It is not guaranteed that Neto will feature as Chelsea are leaving it to the Portugal international to decide personally after the passing of his international team-mate.

But Cucurella told reporters at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night: ‘In the morning he was sad and it was not his best moment. But we tried to stay together and in the afternoon, he was a bit better.

‘I told him that if he’s going to play then he will score because that is destiny. Hopefully we can show his love and all the good friends that we are and dedicate the goal to him.

‘It’s a bad moment. We send all our love to the family, the wife, the kids, and I do it from me, the whole Chelsea squad, and football. Football is not important at times like this. The most important thing is that we show respect and all our love.

‘I saw it as soon as I woke up. It was a difficult moment because these things can happen to all of us in any moment and then you start to think if you don’t feel good, or you don’t give 100 per cent, or feel s*** when these things happen, it’s important to be happy and live life every day.’

So many current and former Liverpool players have posted to pay their respects to Jota, but Andy Roberton’s emotional Instagram message cut especially deep when I read it this morning.

‘The most British foreign player.’

‘The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy.’

‘So genuine. Just normal and real.’

Robertson’s touching words encapsulate the hurt felt by Liverpool’s dressing room and the rest of the world.

Jota will be remembered first as a loving husband, devoted father, genuine friend and humble person before being remembered as a footballer…

Chelsea are leaving it to Pedro Neto to decide whether he wants to play in their Club World Cup clash versus Palmeiras on Friday so soon after the passing of his close friend, Diogo Jota.

Neto missed training with his team-mates on Thursday morning in Miami after learning of the tragic news. He played with Jota at Wolves and for the Portugal national team.

Jorge Mendes, Diogo Jota’s agent, broke down in tears as he accompanied the Liverpool star’s family to a funeral home in Portugal.

The super agent, sporting dark sunglasses, emotionally told reporters upon his arrival:

I still don’t believe it, this is very difficult, very difficult for me. He was a great husband, a great husband and a great professional.

Fans continue to make their way to Anfield to lay flowers, tokens, photos and personal messages in honour of Jota. And the thousands of tributes perfectly demonstrate the love and pain felt by Liverpool’s community.

Whether a hand-drawn picture of Jota, a vibrant bouquet of red and white flowers, or a No 20 shirt in honour of his service to the club, fans are each paying tribute in their own special way.

The bodies of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre have now arrived at a church in Gondomar, Portugal ahead of tomorrow’s funeral, greeted by many heartbroken fans who stood outside to pay their respects.

Dozens of tearful supporters had already gathered outside the church last night to wait for the hearses, who transported the two bodies after 11pm.

Hello everyone, hope you’re all okay after what’s been an immensely difficult and emotional time.

If you somehow missed yesterday’s devastating news, Liverpool star Diogo Jota has died at the age of 28 alongside his brother in a road crash in Spain, just days after he got married to his wife Rute Cardoso.

With family, friends and fans all across the globe continuing to grieve his tragic passing today, we are here to bring you live updates and news as mourners gather to pay their respects at his wake in Portugal.