Diogo Jota, Liverpool football star, dies in car crash at 28. Here’s what to remember about his career

The Liverpool F.C. soccer star Diogo Jota, 28, has been killed in a car crash in Spain early Thursday, according to the Spanish police.

Jota, a Portuguese forward, died alongside his brother André Filipe, a professional soccer player in Portugal.

The crash came less than two weeks after the Liverpool star was married.

“Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota,” the team said in a statement, calling Jota’s death an “unfathomable loss.”

According to Spain’s Guardia Civil, emergency crews responded to an accident around 12:30 a.m. Thursday on the A-52 highway near Cernadilla, a town in northern Spain near the border with Portugal.

The following are some of the things to know about Diogo Jota:

1. Jota started his career with Paços de Ferreira, before signing for La Liga club Atlético Madrid in 2016.

2. ⁠After two seasons in the Primeira Liga, he was consecutively loaned to Primeira Liga club FC Porto in 2016 and EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017.

3. ⁠Having helped them gain promotion to the Premier League, he joined the club in 2018 for a reported €14 million and made 131 appearances for them, scoring 44 goals.

4. ⁠In 2020, he signed for Liverpool for a fee reported to be £41 million.

5. ⁠Jota was a former Portugal youth international, representing his country at under-19, under-21 and under-23 levels.

6. ⁠He made his senior international debut in November 2019 and was chosen in the squads for the 2022 World Cup and two European Championships (2020 and 2024).

7. ⁠He also won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
The Guardia Civil said in a statement that according to initial information, “a car left the road due to a tire blowout while overtaking,” adding that the car had caught fire and both occupants of the vehicle died.

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