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The funeral of Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota is underway in Portugal where family, friends and former teammates have gathered to pay their respects.
Friends and family of the 28-year-old footballer, who died alongside his brother Andre Silva, 25, following a car accident on Thursday, were seen in tears as they carried their coffins into the church.
Distraught loved ones, including Jota's wife Rute Cardoso, were seen walking through the the brothers' hometown of Gondomar in tears while other distraught mourners were being held up as they walked.
Rute, 28, who shares three young children with Jota - two boys and a girl -was dressed all in white, clutching a cream-coloured rose as she placed her hand on her husband’s casket.
Only family and friends are allowed inside the church, however a livestream with audio of the service, lead by the Bishop of Porto, will be played outside to thousands of mourners who have lined the streets to pay their respects.
Current and former teammates of the Premier League star have been steadily arriving to the church this morning ahead of the service.
Liverpool teammates who arrived in the town last night, attended the funeral today alongside a host of Portuguese stars.
They included current captain Virgil Van Dijk, who held a flower arrangement in the shape of Diogo's shirt with the number 20, and Andy Robertson, who carried a red shirt bearing Andre's number 30.
In a heartwarming gesture, the Premier League club will reportedly pay the remainder of Jota's contract to his family, as reported by Record. The Portugal international had two years remaining on his contract at Liverpool, which he signed in 2022.
Much of Liverpool's current men's squad have attended the funeral of their late teammate today alongside Van Dijk and Robertson.
Former Liverpool stars including Fabinho and Thiago as well as Manchester City's Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva are also in attendance for the service today in Gondomar.
Portugal teammate Ruben Neves, who flew in to Portugal after playing for Al-Hilal in their Club World Cup clash in Orlando, US, was also a pallbearer for Diogo's coffin.
Merseyside comedian John Bishop was also among the stars making their way inside the church with Portugal and Wolves defender Nelson Semedo.
Despite reports he was spotted in the Mediterranean, there was no sign of Portugal captain Christiano Ronaldo at the service today.
Ronaldo penned a heartfelt tribute to Jota and his brother Andre in a post on social media on Thursday.
'It doesn't make sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you had gotten married,' he wrote.
'To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them.
'Rest in Peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you.'
Yesterday, well wishers laid flowers at the wake for the brothers, which traditionally happens before the funeral in Portugal.
Several past and present players of the Premier League, who are attending the funeral today, were given a round of applause by local mourners as they passed through the streets to visit the chapel last night.
A handful of former Liverpool stars also made the trip, among them Brighton's James Milner and Ajax's Jordan Henderson.
The latter jetted to Portugal after paying a heartfelt tribute during a tearful return to Anfield earlier in the day.
Mourners sobbed and carried roses and national team scarves in homage to Jota, who won the UEFA Nations League with Portugal less than a month ago, during a wake on Friday.
Aerial footage showed queues stretching from the small chapel, around the corner to the nearby church where his funeral will be held.
Jota's heartbroken wife and parents gathered at the wake and held a vigil at the coffins of the former Wolves striker and his brother.
Rute Cardoso, who married the 28-year-old footballer on June 22, walked into the chapel in Gondomar after returning with her husband's body from Spain on Thursday.
The city overlooking Porto is where the couple, who share three children, met and started dating as teenagers.
Diogo and Andre's mother Isabel, father Joaquim and their grandfather were also emotional on arriving at the chapel.
Joaquim hugged several people and was supported by his brother and later raised a hand to mourners as he left with his wife. They returned around an hour later.
Father-of-three Jota was killed in the early hours of Thursday morning along with his footballer brother Andre Silva, 25.
Their acid green 200mph £180,000 Lamborghini Huracan burst into flames after a suspected tyre blowout on the A-52 highway near Zamora in north-west Spain. No other vehicles were involved, police have said.
The brothers were on a road trip to the northern Spanish port city of Santander to catch a ferry to the UK after the Liverpool player and Portuguese international was advised not to travel by plane following lung surgery.
Jota and Andre's funeral mass will take place in the neighbouring church at 10am today, with several current and former teammates of the two brothers set to attend.
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