Relatives, fans, club members, numerous football personalities and ordinary people have bid farewell to Liverpool striker and Portugal national team star Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother André, 26, who died in a car accident on July 3 near Zamora, northern Spain .
The funeral service in the church of Gondomar, the hometown of the two footballers, was celebrated by the bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda. But already two hours earlier hundreds of people had gathered in front of the temple, which has hosted the funeral vigil since yesterday, carrying wreaths and Portuguese flags . And they welcomed with moving applause the arrival of Rute Cardoso, the young widow of Diogo Jota and mother of their three small children, who had married him only last June 22.
Those attending the service – reserved for relatives, teammates and close friends – also included Diogo Jota's national team colleagues, such as Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes, and a delegation from Liverpool led by coach Arne Slot and captain Virgil van Dijk. Yesterday, the agent of the Reds striker and his younger brother, who played in the Portuguese second division, Jorge Mendes, had already paid homage to the bodies in the chapel of São Cosme set up for the wake, transformed by the affection of those present into an improvised garden of roses and white flowers.
The President of the Republic and the Prime Minister of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Luis Montenegro, were among the first to arrive to convey their deepest condolences to the families of the two footballers. They were followed by the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proença, the president of Porto, André Villas-Boas and the Manchester United player Diogo Dalot. As a sign of mourning, Liverpool decided to postpone the resumption of training until Monday . Only then will the players return, who were initially due to return to work yesterday. And the club has also decided to pay the remaining two years of the player's contract to his family.
