By Euronews
Published on
The death of Portugal and Liverpool FC winger Diogo Jota in the early hours of Thursday morning after a blowout forced his car off the road has shocked the worlds of sport and politics.
Reactions have come in from Liverpool, the club Jota played for when it won the championship last season, to the top of Portuguese politics.
Liverpool FC posted a brief message on X, saying only “Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.”
Fellow Portuguese national player and superstar Cristiano Ronaldo also posted on X, highlighting the tragedy of Jota’s death, coming just two weeks after his marriage to Rute Cardoso.
“It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the national team, just now you had gotten married,” Ronaldo said.
“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,” he wrote.
FC Porto, the club Jota represented on loan from Atlético Madrid during the 2016-17 season, sent “heartfelt condolences” to the family and friends of the former Portuguese international and his brother, who played for the Dragons at various youth levels.
Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro reacted to the news, calling it “unexpected and tragic” in a post on X.
“I extend my deepest condolences to their family. It is a sad day for football and for national and international sports,” he said.
President of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proença, posted a message of condolence on social media saying, “The Portuguese Football Federation and the whole of Portuguese Football are completely devastated by the death of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva.”
Proença “has already asked UEFA to hold a minute’s silence this Thursday before our national team’s match against Spain in the Women’s European Championship.”
