Diogo José Teixeira da Silva (4 December 1996 – 3 July 2025), commonly known as Diogo Jota, was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a forward or winger. He was known for his finishing, pace, dribbling ability and work rate.

Jota started his career with Paços de Ferreira, before signing for La Liga club Atlético Madrid in 2016. 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. 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. In 2020, he signed for Liverpool for a fee reported to be £41 million. He played 182 games and scored 65 goals over five seasons for Liverpool, helping them to the Premier League title in 2024–25, one FA Cup and two EFL Cups.

As a Portugal youth international, Jota represented his country at under-19, under-21, and under-23 levels. He made his senior international debut in November 2019 and was chosen in the squads for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and two UEFA European Championships (2020 and 2024). He also won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.

Jota and his brother, André Silva, were killed in a single-vehicle collision in Cernadilla, Spain, on 3 July 2025.

Personal life

Jota, whose actual surname was Silva, chose to use the name "Jota" to distinguish himself from other players named Diogo and Silva in the youth academy. "Jota" is the Portuguese name of the letter "J", making this equivalent to calling himself "Diogo J".

Jota's brother, André Silva, was also a professional footballer. Like his brother, André started playing football at Gondomar and played for Paços de Ferreira at youth level. When Jota joined Porto on loan in 2016, André was in the club's youth ranks. André was playing for Liga Portugal 2 side Penafiel at the time of their deaths.

Jota was an avid gamer and was ranked world No. 1 in FIFA 21's Champions Leaderboard in February 2021. He had his own eSports team known as Luna Galaxy (formerly "Diogo Jota eSports") and regularly streamed on Twitch. During the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic he took part in an invitational series of FIFA matches, run by the Premier League, eventually defeating future Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final of the competition.

Jota married his high school sweetheart Rute Cardoso on 22 June 2025, just 11 days before his death. The couple had three children.

Death

On 3 July 2025, Jota and his brother, André, died in a car crash in the province of Zamora in Spain, while returning to Liverpool for pre-season training. Jota had recently undergone minor lung surgery in Porto, Portugal before getting married and on medical advice not to fly, planned to return to England via a ferry leaving from Santander, Spain. He and his brother were driving to Santander to catch the ferry when, according to the Spanish Civil Guard, their Lamborghini Huracán suffered a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 motorway. The car veered off the road near kilometre point 64 in the municipality of Cernadilla and caught fire. The crash occurred between 00:30 and 00:40 CEST. Emergency services later confirmed that both men died at the scene. Jota was 28 years old and his brother was 25.

A wake for the brothers was held on 4 July 2025 in Gondomar, Portugal, where hundreds of relatives, friends and public figures, including Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, gathered to pay their respects. The funeral took place the following morning at the nearby Igreja Paroquial de Gondomar, with Bishop Manuel Linda of Porto presiding over the mass. Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson carried floral tributes dedicated to Jota and Silva, respectively, while Portugal teammate Rúben Neves served as a pallbearer for Jota's casket. Following the service, the brothers were buried side by side in the cemetery adjacent to the church.

Tributes

Jota's sudden death received international media coverage, as well as messages from figures in the footballing world. Arne Slot, head coach of Liverpool at the time of Jota's death, released a statement through the club saying, "For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special." Michael Edwards (CEO of football for Fenway Sports Group) and Richard Hughes (sporting director of Liverpool), also released a joint statement through the club stating, "Of course, we – his Liverpool family – are also struggling to come to terms with what has happened. ... This is a tragedy that transcends Liverpool Football Club." In a tribute published on the club's website, Liverpool FC stated that Jota's number 20 shirt would be "rightly immortalised" for his contributions during the 2024–25 title-winning season. A substantial number of past and present Liverpool players posted tribute messages to Jota on social media. Ex-club captain Jordan Henderson visited the Anfield memorial site in-person. Liverpool also opened books of condolence at Anfield and digitally for Diogo and André. The club also confirmed they would pay out the remaining salary of his current contract in installments, in full, to Jota's family. His previous team Wolverhampton Wanderers, and director of football operations & administration Matt Wild, said: "We are all completely shocked. It's such devastating news, not only for the passing of Diogo, which is just tragic enough, but to lose his brother as well."

Jürgen Klopp, who signed Jota for Liverpool in 2020, said, "Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! We will miss you so much!" Cristiano Ronaldo, his Portugal teammate and captain, stated, "It just doesn't make any sense. Just now we were together in the national team, just now you were married." Rúben Neves, Francisco Conceição and several other Portugal teammates posted tributes to Jota. Former Liverpool player and manager Kenny Dalglish said: "Football is not important at this sad time. You feel helpless, knowing there's so little we can do to ease the pain for his wife of just two weeks, his three beautiful children."

FIFA president Gianni Infantino stated: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva ... they will both be so sorely missed by all those who knew them and by the worldwide football community." Following a request by the Portuguese Football Federation, a moment of silence was held before all games at the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 on 3 and 4 July 2025, including a match between Portugal and Spain where players wore black armbands. Moments of silence also took place during the quarter-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup on 4 and 5 July and the flags at FIFA Headquarters in Zürich were flown at half-mast.

Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa expressed shock, highlighting Jota's youth, promising career, and recent family happiness, remarking that "he had his whole future ahead of him". Prime Minister Luís Montenegro described the deaths as "unexpected and tragic", noting that Jota greatly honoured Portugal. Prince William, patron of the Football Association, also paid tribute, stating: "As part of the footballing family, I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Diogo Jota and his brother. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who knew him."

Icelandic singer Laufey paid tribute to Jota on 3 July 2025 during her concert in Liverpool by performing a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone". English rock band Oasis paid tribute to Jota during the first show of their reunion tour on 4 July in Cardiff; whilst performing "Live Forever", an image of Jota in his kit appeared on the stage display. Portuguese-American guitarist Nuno Bettencourt commemorated Jota at the Back to the Beginning concert on 5 July at Villa Park. Before performing Black Sabbath's song "Changes" with Yungblud, Bettencourt dressed in Jota's Liverpool number 20 jersey.