Diogo Jota latest: Mourners gather for footballer’s public wake in Portugal
Liverpool officials arrive at public wake in Portugalpublished at 19:44 British Summer Time
We’re seeing live images now of club officials from Liverpool FC – for whom Diogo Jota played – arriving at the public wake in Gondomar, Portugal.
Image source, EPA
Michael Edwards, chief executive at Liverpool, arrives in Gondomar, accompanied by other club officials
Image source, EPA
Also pictured there is Jonathan Power (L), director of medicine and performance at Liverpool
Sense of disbelief among people coming to Anfieldpublished at 19:29 British Summer Time
Daniel Austin
Reporting from Liverpool
Meanwhile in Liverpool, the famous Paisley Gates in front of the Kop are adorned with homemade banners bearing Diogo Jota’s name.
The Portuguese forward’s tenacity, determination and knack for scoring at crucial moments made him one of the most popular players here.
There is a still a sense of disbelief among those who are coming to Anfield to pay their respects today.
Those paying tribute to Diogo Jota this evening include those from the Liverpool area and many from further afield.
Items laid in tribute to the forward include the badges of teams like Tranmere Rovers, Manchester City, Newcastle United, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, German side Borussia Monchengladbach, and Portuguese club Boavista.
Jota was someone who kept in touch with his rootspublished at 19:08 British Summer Time
Guy Hedgecoe
Reporting from Gondomar, Portugal
This wake has been an all-day occasion, a reflection ofhow important these two brothers – Diogo Jota and André Silva – are to their hometown.
Jota was someone who kept in touch with his roots and Gondomarwas always somewhere that he came back to – that was important to him.
I’ve spoken to a number of mourners. Some of them couldn’tcontain their tears and broke down as they talked about Jota.
There was one man who had played alongside him in a youthteam for a few months when they were young players.
He said he couldn’t believe he was gone, it was an uttershock.
Mourners queue into evening at public wakepublished at 18:26 British Summer Time
People are continuing to join the queue to enter a chapel and pay their respects to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva in their hometown.
It’s just passed 18:25 in Gondomar, Portugal – here are the latest pictures:
Image source, PA Media
Image source, PA Media
Image source, PA Media
Tributes continue as public wake held in brothers’ hometownpublished at 18:15 British Summer Time
Image source, PA Media
Mourners gathered for the public wake
Tributes continue to be paid to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva after they were killed in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday.
Here is a brief look at what’s happened today:
- Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson and Everton players Beto and Youssef Chermiti are among the mourners who have left tributes at a growing shrine outside of Anfield
- Jota’s family and friends held a private gathering at the Chapel of the Resurrection in Gondomar, their hometown in Portugal, earlier today
- A crowd has now gathered for a public wake at the church
- Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is also in the small town to pay his respects, as are a number of well-known figures from the world of football, including Portugal and Manchester United player Diogo Dalot and former Liverpool players Fabinho
In Liverpool, an emotional rendition of Jota chantpublished at 18:06 British Summer Time
Jonny Humphries
Reporting from Liverpool
Musician Mark Phillip led fans in an emotional rendition of the Diogo Jota chant
MusicianMark Phillip led fans in an emotional rendition of the popular Diogo Jota chantoutside Anfield.
He said he hoped Jota’s family would see footage of fanssinging his name.
“For me as a father I’m thinking about his three littleboys and his wife,” he said.
“[Jota] just got married it’s so sad. Such aspectacular waste of life.”
More footballers pictured at wakepublished at 17:53 British Summer Time
Portugal and Manchester United player Diogo Dalot has been pictured at the wake for Diogo Jota and André Silva in their hometown of Gondomar.
Jota’s teammate at Liverpool, Fabinho, has also been seen paying respect.
Image source, PA Media
Portugal player Diogo Dalot
Image source, Getty Images
Fabinho, Brazilian football player at Al-Ittihad and former teammate of Diogo Jota at Liverpool
Crowds of people gather to pay respectpublished at 17:25 British Summer Time
Crowds of people are gathering to pay their respects at the public wake for brothers Diogo Jota and André Silva.
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
President of the Portuguese Soccer Federation Pedro Proenca is pictured at the wake
Live images from the scene as mourners gather for wakepublished at 17:14 British Summer Time
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
As we’ve been reporting, mourners are arriving for the public wake of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva.
A long queue has formed outside the Chapel of the Resurrection in Gondomar, the brothers’ hometown, as people wait to pay their respects. You can see the latest from the scene by pressing watch live at the top of this page.
Silence held before Denmark-Sweden matchpublished at 17:08 British Summer Time
Image source, Reuters
The death of Diogo Jota and his brother has been marked with a moment’s silence at this afternoon’s Women’s Euro 2025 match in Geneva, Switzerland.
Before Denmark and Sweden kicked off an image of Jota was shown on the stadium’s big screen as the players stood in silence.
Portuguese footballers pictured in Gondomarpublished at 16:55 British Summer Time
Primeira Liga club Braga players Ricardo Horta and João Moutinho have been pictured arriving at the wake of Diogo Jota and André Silva.
Horta, Moutinho and Jota have all played for Portugal’s national team.
Image source, PA Media
Ricardo Horta arrives for the wake in Gondomar, Portugal
Image source, PA Media
João Moutinho also seen attending
Public gather for wake in brothers’ hometownpublished at 16:37 British Summer Time
Members of the public are gathering in Gondomar, the hometown of Diego Jota and André Silva, for a public wake.
As we reported earlier, this follows a private gathering for the brothers’ relatives.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Fans’ tributes to Jota: ‘We hope this brings comfort to his family’published at 16:25 British Summer Time
Watch: Grieving fans tell the BBC what Jota meant to them
While friends and family gather in Portugal, Liverpool fans have been paying their respects and tributes outside the club’s Anfield ground.
Some spoke to our reporter Alison Freeman about their feelings about Diogo Jota, and their hopes that his family would be comforted by the display of affection for him.
Diogo Jota’s death: Experiencing grief and how to process your emotionspublished at 16:20 British Summer Time
Dr Radha Modgil has been speaking to BBC Bitesize about what you can do if you, your friends or family are feeling upset by this news.
“As human beings, we form all kinds of different types relationships with those around us, and it is the same with famous people,” she explains.
“We might admire them, their skill, what they brought to the world. We miss that role of being a mentor in our lives and miss how they touched our lives.
“Humans have a very special quality – to connect with each other and each other’s lives, experiences and stories, and that is why we grieve people we have never met.”
Young people have access to a huge amount of news information, particularly in this age of social media, and will probably already be well aware of the details surrounding Jota’s death.
‘Diogo Jota told me they would stop at a hotel in Burgos to rest’ – specialistpublished at 16:02 British Summer Time
The specialist who worked with Diogo Jota on his recovery plan has told Portuguese media he said goodbye to him and his brother Andre Silva at around 20:30 GMT on Wednesday – hours before the fatal crash.
“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,” Dr Miguel Goncalves told sports newspaper Record.
“They were going to travel at night because it was cooler, but they weren’t going direct. He told me that the journey would take about eight hours but that they would stop at a hotel in the Burgos area to rest. Diogo was very aware of his professionalism.
“They were only supposed to arrive in Santander on Friday, 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 valued his faith, says England and Wales’s most senior Roman Catholicpublished at 15:58 British Summer Time
The head of the Catholic Church inEngland and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, says he knows Jota’s faith wasvery important to him and hopes the family will find comfort in that.
He also told the BBC that a good friendof his had helped Diogo and his wife, Rute Cardoso, prepare for their recent wedding.
“He would say what a wonderfulfamily they were and dedicated and clear about the wedding they wanted in theCatholic Church in Porto,” Cardinal Nichols says.
“To see that family coming to its fullnessin the marriage and then to have it smashed – it is really very, very hard totake.”
Portuguese Parliament pays tribute to brotherspublished at 15:54 British Summer Time
Members of the Portuguese Parliament have paid tribute to Portugal’s Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva at the Parliament in Lisbon this afternoon.
Image source, EPA/Shutterstock
In pictures: Brothers’ grandfather and Nottingham Forest player arrivepublished at 15:41 British Summer Time
More images of Diogo Jota and André Silva’s friends and family are coming to us from Gondomar.
Another Premier League player, Nottingham Forest’s Jota Silva, as well as the brothers’ grandfather, have been pictured at the chapel.
Image source, Reuters
Nottingham Forest’s Portuguese winger Jota Silva, who was born in Gondomar, also carried flowers to wake
Image source, Getty Images
The grandfather of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva was also pictured being comforted outside the chapel
Portuguese president to attend public wakepublished at 15:25 British Summer Time
Image source, Getty Images
Rebelo de Sousa (R) arrived in Gondomar hours after Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro paid his respects in person
We’re now getting more pictures from outside Sao Cosme Chapel in Gondomar, where the public wake for Diogo Jota and his brother André is being held.
Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is also in the small town on the outskirts of Porto to pay his respects to the Liverpool forward – who was capped by the country’s national team 49 times after making his debut in 2019.
‘Our city is united in grief’published at 15:12 British Summer Time
Daniel Austin
BBC Sport at Anfield
Everton legend Ian Snodin laid a wreath in memory of Diogo Jota on behalf of the club, which offers condolences and says that the “city is united in grief”.
Meanwhile, current Everton forward Beto and Yousseff Chermiti wrote heartfelt personal messages to their compatriot.
