Diogo Jota was described as an “unparalleled professional” by his physio, Miguel Goncalves, who strongly denied vile rumours the Liverpool forward had been partying in the run up to the crash
Diogo Jota had been bravely playing through a little-known issue called a pneumothorax – or collapsed lung – in the weeks before his death, his physio has confirmed.
Miguel Goncalves said the forward was so desperate to ensure Liverpool won their second Premier League title he delayed his surgery for pneumothorax. He was also keen to feature in Portugal’s Nation’s League game against Spain in June, which his country won on penalties.
Jota, 28, battled through the issue and saw Mr Goncalves just five hours before the fatal crash in Zamora, Spain. Both Jota and his younger brother Andre died after the Portugal international’s Lamborghini Huracan was involved in the smash.
Mr Goncalves said the brothers planned to drive to Santander to catch a ferry to England, and chose to make the journey in the evening because the weather was cooler. Mr Goncalves added: “I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8:30pm. 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. They were going to travel at night because it was cooler, but they weren’t going direct.”
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The 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 Jota’s home city of Porto where two weeks ago he married childhood sweetheart Rute in a Catholic service packed with family and friends.
Speaking to Portuguese outlet Record, Mr Goncalves, who himself works mostly at a hospital in Porto, added: “Diogo was very aware of his professionalism. They were only supposed to arrive in Santander today (Thursday), catch the boat and then go to England.
“The family would arrive later by plane, organise their lives over the weekend and then, on Monday, they had a medical appointment scheduled in Liverpool to assess the situation.”
Jota, a father of three, was advised against flying because this would have been a risk to his health. Instead, the Brittany Ferries service from the port city of Santander was due to reach Plymouth, Devon, this morning.
And Mr Goncalves stressed the footballer’s decision highlighted his huge professionalism, a trait he praised. He was appalled to read disgusting rumours on social media to suggest Jota had been partying in the run up to the crash.
The physio added: “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.
Mr Goncalves said: “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.”