Portuguese footballer Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, known as Diogo Jota, was born on 4 December 1996 in Porto. Jota, who played as a forward and winger, professionally represented clubs in the leagues of Portugal, Spain and England. He lost his life in a traffic accident in July 2025 alongside his brother André Silva.

Early Years and Youth Career

Diogo Jota’s football journey began in childhood. With the support of his parents Joaquim and Isabel Silva, he was directed toward football at an early age and joined the youth academy of Gondomar SC at the age of nine. After several years at the club, he moved to the youth system of Paços de Ferreira in 2013. In 2014, at just 17 years old, he made his professional debut for Paços de Ferreira’s first team and became one of the youngest goalscorers in the Primeira Liga that season.

Professional Career Beginnings: Portugal and Spain

Jota’s talents quickly attracted attention from European clubs. In 2016, he was transferred to Atlético Madrid for approximately seven million euros. However, he failed to secure a place in the first team and was loaned out to FC Porto later that same year. Playing for Porto, Jota featured in both domestic league matches and European competitions, notably drawing attention with a hat-trick against Nacional on 1 October 2016.

After a one-year loan spell at Porto, Jota was loaned to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a club in England’s Championship, in 2017. During the 2017–18 season, he scored 17 goals and played a key role in helping the team gain promotion to the Premier League. His performances led to Wolverhampton signing him permanently in 2018.

Premier League and Liverpool Era

Jota spent two seasons with Wolverhampton in the Premier League, making 67 league appearances and scoring 16 goals. In 2020, he was transferred to Liverpool for a fee reported to be approximately £41 million (€44.7 million).

He made a rapid start to his Liverpool career, scoring in his first Premier League match. Over the course of his time at the club from 2020 to 2025, he made 182 appearances and scored 65 goals. During this period, he won the FA Cup (2021–22), the EFL Cup (2021–22 and 2023–24), and the Premier League title (2024–25). His positional flexibility allowed him to play effectively both on the wings and as a central striker across different tactical systems.

National Team Career

After representing Portugal at the U19, U21 and U23 levels, Diogo Jota was called up to the senior national team in 2019. That same year, he was part of the Portugal squad that won the UEFA Nations League. He was also selected for the squads for the UEFA European Championships in 2020 and 2024. He scored 14 goals in 49 appearances for the Portuguese national team.

Diogo Jota Career Statistics (generated by artificial intelligence)

Personal Life and Interests

Diogo Jota maintained a long-term relationship with Rute Cardoso, whom he had known since childhood. Their first child, Dinis, was born in 2021. Their second child was born in 2023. The couple married on 22 June 2025. Shortly after their wedding, Jota and his brother André Silva died in a traffic accident in the Zamora region of Spain on 3 July 2025.

Jota’s personal interests included esports. He owned an esports team named “Luna Galaxy” and was particularly passionate about the FIFA video game series. He had also begun coaching education courses in preparation for obtaining a UEFA B License. He was known for his strong technical understanding and interest in match analysis.

Death

On 3 July 2025, Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva died in a traffic accident in the Zamora province of Spain. The crash occurred after the Lamborghini driven by Jota suffered a tire blowout, causing the vehicle to lose control during a maneuver, veer off the road and catch fire. Both brothers were confirmed dead at the scene.

Following the accident, numerous organizations, including the Portuguese Football Federation and Liverpool Football Club, issued condolences. UEFA decided to observe a one-minute silence before the European Championship match between the Portugal women’s national team and Spain on the same day.