“We lost two great people,” says Jorge Mendes as Portugal mourns
Gondomar, Portugal — A wave of grief swept through northern Portugal on Thursday night as the bodies of Portugal international Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre arrived home for burial. The siblings, aged 28 and 26 respectively, died tragically in a car crash in Spain earlier that morning, prompting an outpouring of sorrow across the footballing world and beyond.
The remains of the two brothers arrived just after 11:00 p.m. at the Capela de Ressurreição in Gondomar, ahead of a public wake scheduled for Friday morning. Mourners, unable to hold back tears, lined the streets as the black hearses carrying the coffins rolled into the chapel compound.
The mood was sombre, with silence broken only by quiet sobs and prayers. This same city, just 30 minutes from Jota’s hometown of Porto, had been the site of his wedding only two weeks ago, when he married his longtime partner Rute Cardoso.
According to Spanish authorities and reports by the Daily Mail, the crash occurred in the early hours of Thursday on the A-52 motorway near Cernadilla, just across the Spanish border. The Lamborghini Huracan the brothers were travelling in reportedly suffered a tyre burst while overtaking another vehicle.
The luxury vehicle veered off the road, rolled several times, and erupted into flames, killing both occupants instantly. Spanish government official Ángel Blanco confirmed the brothers were dead before emergency responders could reach the scene. The intense impact of the crash reportedly set nearby vegetation ablaze, requiring firefighters to intervene.
It remains unclear which of the brothers was driving at the time of the accident.
Speaking to CNN, Parish Priest José Macedo confirmed that the wake will begin at 8:00 a.m. Friday, with the funeral mass scheduled for Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at Igreja Matriz, the Catholic church adjacent to the chapel.
“We are available to celebrate their lives with everyone and to share in the pain and Christian hope,” Father Macedo said solemnly.
The bodies had earlier been taken to a funeral home in Puebla de Sanabria, Spain, where Jota’s agent Jorge Mendes was seen consoling the grieving family and escorting the footballer’s mother inside.
Mendes: “I still can’t believe it”
A visibly shaken Jorge Mendes described Jota as a man of integrity and kindness.
“We lost two great people,” Mendes told reporters. “Diogo is an example as a person, husband, son, and professional. I still can’t believe it. It’s very difficult.”
What Was Meant to Be a Journey Home
Reports suggest the brothers were en route to Santander to catch a ferry to the UK, having opted against flying due to Diogo Jota’s recent lung surgery. The 28-year-old, who recently played for Liverpool and the Portuguese national team, had been recovering and expected to return soon.
The crash cut short that recovery—and a life that had only just celebrated its most joyful moment.
From wedding bells to funeral hymns in two weeks, the heartbreak in Gondomar is palpable. Diogo Jota, a player known for his skill on the pitch and his humility off it, leaves behind a devastated family, wife, fans, and a stunned nation.
His funeral on Saturday is expected to draw hundreds as Portugal bids farewell to one of its own, and as the football world mourns yet another tragic loss.
