A funeral ceremony for Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, will take place on Saturday in Porto, Portugal following their tragic deaths in a devastating car crash
The funerals of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, will be held in Gondomar, a half-hour drive inland from the northern Portuguese city of Porto, at 10am on Saturday. Local priest Jose Manuel Macedo initially revealed they would take place at 4pm on Friday before confirming they had been put back to Saturday morning.
It is understood the delay is linked to minor paperwork issues the men’s relatives, who were still in Spain last night, were trying to resolve before being able to repatriate the bodies. Father Macedo said a wake would take place at Sao Cosme Chapel before the funeral mass on Saturday morning at the Catholic church next door – the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar.
Jota began his footballing career at a club in Gondomar and is also thought to have met his wife there. It is not yet clear whether the men’s family will request privacy or make it a more public affair.
Tributes poured in throughout Thursday, as former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, club legend Sir Kenny Dalglish and Reds boss Arne Slot all issued statements following the brothers’ tragic death which occurred near Zamora, northwestern Spain. So, too, did Jota’s Liverpool team-mates.
READ MORE: Premier League star left ‘speechless’ after Diogo Jota attended his wedding five days agoREAD MORE: Diogo Jota dead: Latest updates and details after Liverpool star dies in car crash
Alexis Mac Allister wrote on Instagram: “I can’t believe it. I will always remember your smiles, your anger, your intelligence, your companionship and everything that made you a person. It hurts a lot, we will miss you. Rest in peace dear Diogo.”
Dominik Szoboszlai added: “Words cannot describe how heartbroken and devastated we are… Your smile, your love for the game will never be forgotten. 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.”
Andy Robertson also paid a lengthy and powerful tribute. “The ones I’m thinking about most right now are the family. Their loss is too much to bear. I’m so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls – Diogo and Andre,” Robertson began.
“For the team and the Club, we’ll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now.
“It’s the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I’d try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.
“We’d watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight – one of the best we had. The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family.“I can’t believe we’re saying goodbye. It’s too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better. Love you, Diogo.”
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