Diogo Jota's physio lifts lid on his final hours and the twist of fate which ended his life as he insists Liverpool star, 28, was NOT 'partying' before deadly Lamborghini 'fireball' crash
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Diogo Jota's physio has revealed the tragic footballer's final hours as he insisted the Liverpool star was not partying in the run up to the late-night fireball smash.
Respiratory physiotherapist Miguel Goncalves had been working with Jota just five hours before the deadly crash, after he suffered a little-known issue called a pneumothorax - or collapsed lung.
He had bravely played through his condition, risking making it worse by delaying surgery from May until after Portugal's Nation's League victory against Spain earlier this month.
The striker and his younger brother Andre were travelling across northern Spain in his acid green £180,000 Lamborghini Huracan when tragedy struck.
His funeral will start tomorrow, with the wake taking place in São Cosme at 3pm, with the funeral at 10am on Saturday. It will be held at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar, half an hour from his home city of Porto where two weeks ago he married childhood sweetheart Rute in a Catholic service packed with family and friends.
Jota and his brother were on their way to catch a ferry back to England, after he was warned flying would be a risk to his health. A Brittany Ferries service from the port city of Santander to Plymouth left at 4pm today, arriving in Devon at 11.15am on Friday.
Goncalves, who works at Hospital São João, in Porto, said he had last seen Jota at dinner time, at around 8.30pm, and were planning to drive at night because it was cooler. He strongly denied rumours that they had been partying, calling his patient an 'unparalleled professional'.
In a tragic insight into the footballer's final days the physio said he was 'excited, confident in his recovery and enthusiastic' for the upcoming season.
'I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8:30 p.m. His brother was a great companion and decided to go with him, to accompany him on the trip, and that way they would also spend more time together,' Goncalves told Portuguese outlet Record.
'They were going to travel at night because it was cooler, but they weren’t going direct.
'He told me that the journey would take about eight hours, but that they would stop at a hotel in the Burgos area to rest. Diogo was very aware of his professionalism. They were only supposed to arrive in Santander today, catch the boat and then go to England.
'The family would arrive later by plane, organize their lives over the weekend and then, on Monday, they had a medical appointment scheduled in Liverpool to assess the situation.
'I’ve read some things on the internet that are regrettable, and I’ve even heard some in the media. To be clear, Diogo and Andre weren’t partying at all, they weren’t in the so-called "good mood" life, they had nothing that deserved any repair. Nothing.'
The tyre of the supercar is said to have blown out while overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora - just ten miles over the border from Portugal.
Police are investigating the cause of the fatal crash in the early hours of Thursday morning. Just two weeks ago Diogo had married his girlfriend in a Catholic service packed with family and friends in his home city of Porto.
Wreckage at the scene suggested the brothers were driving to the UK in a Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder. It costs in the region of £180,000 before upgrades and has a top speed of in excess of 200mph. It can go from 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds.
Goncalves continued: 'I started working with him last Saturday and I was with him every day until this Wednesday. I said goodbye to him at dinner time,'
'He made an extraordinary recovery, he was undoubtedly an unparalleled professional. He strictly followed what I told him, as you could see in the way he was recovering.
'The base of his right lung had collapsed a little, but with the post-surgery physiotherapy he was practically flawless. When I left him yesterday he was no longer in pain and was going to return to Liverpool.
'He was excited, confident in his recovery and enthusiastic about the next season. He told me that he would not go on the pre-season tour that Liverpool is going to Japan to strengthen his recovery, he believed he was going to have a great season.'
It was not immediately clear who was driving but police have been looking into the possibility that the accident happened as a result of a blown tyre while the car tried to overtake another vehicle.
The brothers were driving eastward along an isolated stretch of highway, about an hour west of Zamora, when the accident took place.
Spanish government official Ángel Blanco said the siblings died at the scene.
Liverpool are due to start pre-season training on Monday, so Jota was heading back to the UK on a road trip with his brother less than two weeks after he married his childhood sweetheart Rute in his home city of Porto on June 22.
Doctors reportedly advised the Liverpool star not to catch a plane after a recent operation, so was getting a boat instead.
CNN Portugal's sports editor Rui Loura said today live on air: 'The surgery he had was lung surgery and he had been advised against flying following this.
'He was on his way to the northern Spanish port city of Santander to cross by ferry and reach the UK that way and carry on with the car once he reached Britain. He was on his way to Liverpool with his brother.'
Another Portuguese journalist, Victor Pinto told the country's CMTV channel: 'Diogo sometimes chose to travel by road because he had some pulmonary discomfort, nothing serious, and as we know, there is a ferry boat that connects the south of England to Spain'.
Another Portuguese journalist, Victor Pinto told the country's CMTV channel: 'Diogo sometimes chose to travel by road because he had some pulmonary discomfort, nothing serious, and as we know, there is a ferry boat that connects the south of England to Spain'.
The supercar came off the road, rolled and then burst into flames at around 12.35am, also igniting the surrounding vegetation. The emergency services were called but the brothers could not be saved. Police say they don't yet know who was driving.
Liverpool FC said in a statement that the club is 'devastated' by the tragedy and that Diogo's family, friends and fans had suffered an 'unimaginable loss'. Flowers and tributes are being laid outside Anfield today, with many fans in tears.
Jota had just married Rute Cardoso, the 28-year-old mother of his three children and partner since the age of 16. He had described himself as the luckiest man in the world to be her husband, sharing moving footage of their wedding day in his final Instagram post on Wednesday afternoon.
The couple married on June 22 in Porto, the footballer's home city. Rute shared more wedding day pictures in a social media post yesterday and said: 'My dream come true.' Jota replied in the comments: 'I'm the lucky one.'
The Lamborghini crash happened on the A-52 in the province of Zamora. The Spanish dual carriageway is a key route taken by drivers after leaving northern Portugal as they head for the ports of Santander and Bilbao or drive north-east towards France.
Emergency services in the Castilla and Leon region confirmed the crash and two fatalities at around 12.35am on Thursday morning. Diogo and Andre's deaths were then confirmed by the Portuguese Football Federation at around 8am.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota's friend and teammate and Portugal's greatest player, said today: 'It doesn't make any sense. Just now we were together for the national team, you were just married. To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. RIP. Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you'.
Diogo was born Diogo Silva, but changed his surname to Jota to stand out because it is a common surname. His brother Andre kept the family name.
The boys were the only children of parents Joaquim and Isabel Silva.
Jota was part of Liverpool's Premier League-winning side in the 2024/25 campaign, scoring six goals in 26 appearances. He also played for Portugal's national team and helped it win the Nations League last month in an extraordinary win over rivals Spain on penalties.
His younger brother played for Penafiel, in the second tier of Portuguese football.
The Spanish civil guard said he was found dead alongside his brother Andre Silva, after their car went off a road near the city of Zamora.
'The 1-1-2 Castilla y León operations room received several calls reporting a vehicle accident at Km. 65 of the A-52, in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora. A car was reported to have been involved in an accident and the vehicle was on fire,' a statement read.
'1-1-2 notified the Zamora Traffic Police, the Zamora Provincial Council Fire Brigade, and the Sacyl Emergency Coordination Center (CCU) of this accident.
'From there, a Medical Emergency Unit (UME) and the Primary Care Medical Staff (MAP) from the Mombuey Health Center were sent, who confirmed the death of two people on the scene'.
The Portuguese national football team have said they are 'devastated' by the death of Liverpool forward Diogo, adding that he 'was not only a fantastic player with almost 50 caps for the national team, but also an extraordinary person who was respected by all his teammates and opponents'.
Liverpool posted on Instagram on Thursday morning: 'Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.
'The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.
'Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.
'We will continue to provide them with our full support.'
His death was confirmed by Pedro Proenca, head of the Portuguese Football Federation.
He said in a statement: 'The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva, this morning, in Spain.
'Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 internationalizations for the National A Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.
Trent Alexander-Arnold leads Liverpool tributes to former teammate
England star Trent Alexander-Arnold led Liverpool's tributes today to former teammate Diogo Jota.
The midfielder, who moved from the Merseyside club to Real Madrid earlier this year, joined the Spanish side in a silent tribute ahead of the training session this afternoon.
Posting on Instagram this evening, he shared photos of them celebrating together on the pitch alongside a hearfelt message where he said the Portuguese star's 'family was his world'.
He wrote: 'It's so difficult to find the right words when your head and heart are struggling to accept that someone you care so much about has gone.
'Diogo, your family was your world. They were everything. For Rute, his children, and his parents, all of our hearts are broken. And for Andre as well. Brothers and best friends.
'When it's less painful, I want to remember Diogo with a big smile. So many laughs and happy moments. He was such a great teammate and a true friend.
'Forever number 20. Rest in peace, Diogo.'
'Words can not describe how heartbroken and devastated we are... Your smile, your love for the game will never be forgotten,' midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai added on X.
'We will miss you so much, but you will stay with us forever, on and off the pitch. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family. Rest in peace, brother.'
Striker Darwin Nunez expressed his sympathies on Instagram, saying: 'There are no words of comfort for so much pain.
'I will always remember you with your smile, as a good companion on and off the field.
'I send all my strength to his family, from where he is I'm sure he will always be with you, especially his wife and three children.'
Nunez signed off 'Q.E.P.D (que en paz descanse - may he rest in peace) Diogo and Andre'.
Harvey Elliott, a member of England Under-21s' European Championship-winning team, posted: 'Diogo, I can't believe you're gone. It's hard to put into words how much this hurts us.
'You were an incredible footballer... the kind that made a difference every single time you stepped on the field. You were humble, hard-working, kind, and always there for anyone that needed anything.
'I feel so lucky to have shared the pitch with you, shared memories and moments I'll carry with me forever. You'll always be part of this team, part of the Liverpool family. We will never, ever forget you.
'My heart goes out to your whole family. Love you brother. Rest easy Diogo & Andre. You'll Never Walk Alone.'
Fellow midfielder Curtis Jones wrote on X: 'It's hard to find the exact words how this feels. An unbelievable player & a great person to everyone.
'Grateful we shared so many memories on and off the pitch brother.'
'Heartbroken' former manager Jurgen Klopp, for whom his Christian faith has played a big part in his life, wrote on Instagram: 'This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose! But I can't see it!
