The deeply sad wife of Diogo Jota and his family have arrived in the Portuguese chapel where the box of the Liverpool star was taken with his deceased brother Andre for a wake.
Rute Cardoso, who only married the 28-year-old football player on June 22, walked into the Sao Cosme Chapel in Gondomar after his return with the body of her husband from Spain last night for tomorrow's funeral.
The city with a view of Porto is where the couple met and started dating as teenagers. They married less than two weeks ago.
The mother Isabel of the brothers and sisters and their grandfather were also seen in the chapel. Portugal's Premier Luis Montenegro followed together with Diogo's agent Jorge Mendes.
Rute Jota visited the Wake with family members, some of whom were seen outside.
Father of three Diogo was killed in the early hours of yesterday morning, together with his football player Brother Andre Silva, 26.
Their acid green 200 mph £ 180,000 Lamborghini Huracan burst into flames after a suspected tire bladder on the A-52 highway near Zamora in northwestern Spain. There were no other vehicles involved, the police said.
The brothers were on a road trip to the North -Spanish port city of Santander to catch a ferry to the UK after the Liverpool player and the Portuguese international was advised not to travel by plane after pulmonary operation.
Family members were filmed to embrace each other while they got apart in tears before they walked to the chapel together.
The actual wake is set to start around 4 p.m., with the president of Portugal Marcelo de Sousa confirming that he will be one of those who arrive at that time to express their last respect for a funeral in the neighboring church – the Igrega Matriz de Gondomar – tomorrow at 10 am.
It is not yet clear how public the wake will be.
The chapel and the neighboring church are about half an hour's drive from the church in Porto, where Diogo and his wife were married less than two weeks ago.
Local priest Jose Manuel Macedo initially revealed that the funeral would take place today at 4 p.m. before he confirmed last night that it had been reduced tomorrow morning.
It is understood that the delay was linked to small paperwork problems that the loved ones of the men, who were still in Spain yesterday, tried to resolve before they could repatriate the bodies.
The town hall of Gondomar gave an emotional statement yesterday, because it confirmed that it had determined a day of official mourning.
It said: 'Gondomar Town Hall publishes his deepest sympathy at the death of international footballer Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, illustrious residents of Gondomar who left early and leave a remarkable sports career and an example of dedication and professionalism.
'During his career, Diogo Jota stood out for his football talent and for the dedicated way in which he always represented the region and the country, who won national and international recognition.
'In this time of grief and consternation, the town hall of Gondomar extends the deepest participation in the family and friends of these two inhabitants of Gondomar.
'As a tribute, the mayor of Gondomar Luis Filipe Araujo decided by the official order a day of municipal mourning that will be observed on Friday 4 July.
“During this period, the municipal flag will be flown at half-mast in all municipal buildings and facilities.”
The mayor today described Diogo Jota as 'an extraordinary talent and a real ambassador for Gondomar' where he grew up and went to school.
The bodies of Diogo and his brother were greeted by deeply sad supporters and applause while their coffins arrived in a church in Portugal prior to their funeral tomorrow.
Folders will gather early this morning to express their respect at a Wake in Gondomar after Jota, 28, and his brother or sister died in a fiery crash in the early hours on Thursday.
Dozens were already outside in the church last night and the tears rolled over their faces while the hearing the two bodies transport after 11 p.m.
The band of Jota's Lamborghini Huracan is said to have been blown up while catching up another vehicle on the A-52 in Cernadilla near Zamora, just ten miles across the border from Portugal. The Supercar then came off the road, rolled and bursting into flames.
The crash, which took place around 12.35, also ignited the surrounding vegetation. The emergency services were called, but the brothers could not be saved. The police said they don't know who had been behind the wheel.
The Spanish government official Angel Blanco said the brothers and sisters died on the spot.
On Thursday afternoon, horns arrived in a funeral center in the Spanish city of Puebla de Sanabria, where the bodies were taken after the incident.
Jota's agent Jorge Mendes was depicted by the player of the player when they entered the funeral center, and he told reporters that it was a 'very difficult' time.
“We have lost two great people. Diogo is an example as a person, husband, son, professional. I still can't believe it, it's very difficult, “Mendes said in tears.
The hearings later left for Gondomar.
This morning's wake takes place just a half-hour drive from Jota's hometown Porto, North Portugal-where two weeks ago the 28-year-old his youth lifters Rute Cardoso married in a service full of family and friends.
Jota and his brother Andre, 26, were reportedly on a road trip to Santander to catch a ferry to Great Britain after he was advised not to fly after pulmonary operation.
Liverpool will start training for the season on Monday, so Jota went back to the UK during a road trip. A Brittany Ferries service from Santander for Plymouth left on Thursday at 4 p.m. and arrived in Devon on Friday at 11.15 am.
The football club said in a statement that they were 'destroyed' by the tragedy and that the family of Diogo, friends and fans had suffered an 'unimaginable loss'. Flowers and tribute have been laid outside of Anfield by supporters in tears.
Jota was just married to the mother of his three children and partner since the age of 16. He had described himself as the happiest man in the world to be her husband, and shares images of their wedding day in his last Instagram post on Wednesday.
RUTE shared more wedding daily photos in a post on social media and said, “My dream came true.” Jota then answered in the comments: “I am the lucky one.”
The couple came together in 2013, it was reported and has three children – two sons and a daughter born in November.
Jota was part of Liverpool's Premier League-winning side in the 2024/25 campaign and scored six goals in 26 performances. He also played for the national team of Portugal and helped them win the Nations League last month.
His younger brother played for Penafiel, in the second level of Portuguese football.
The Spanish civilian guard said Jota was found dead next to his brother on the spot.
'The 1-1-2 Castilla y León Operations Room received various calls in which a vehicle accident was reported at KM. 65 of the A-52, in the municipality of Cernadilla, Zamora. It was reported that a car was involved in an accident and the vehicle was on fire, “they said.
'1-1-2 informed the Zamora Traffic Police, the Zamora Provincial Council Fire Brigade and the Sacyl Emergency Coordination Center (CCU) of this accident.
“From there, a medical emergency unit (UME) and the medical staff of first -line care (MAP) of the Mombuey Health Center were sent, which confirmed the death of two people on the spot.”
The Portuguese national football team said they 'destroyed' by Jota's death, and added that he was 'not only a fantastic player with nearly 50 caps for the national team, but an extraordinary person who was respected by all his teammates and opponents'.
His death was confirmed by Pedro Proenca, head of the Portuguese football federation, who said in a statement: “The Portuguese football federation and all of Portuguese football were completely destroyed by the death of Diogo Jota and André Silva, Thursday morning in Spain.
'Much more than a great player, with nearly 50 games for the National A -Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.
'On behalf of me, and on behalf of the Portuguese football federation, I express my deepest participation to the family and friends of Diogo and Andre Silva, as well as Liverpool FC and FC Penafiel, the clubs where the players stood respectively.
'The Portuguese football federation has already asked a minute of silence this Thursday for a minute of silence, before the match of our national team with Spain, in the European Championship for Women. Lost from two champions.
“The disappearance of Diogo and Andre Silva represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football and we will do everything to honor their estate every day.”
Jota came to Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 and won three major trophies with the Merseyside Club – including the Premier League title last season.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota's friend and teammate, said on Thursday: 'It makes no sense. Just now we were together for the national team, you were just married.
'To your family, to your wife and children, I send my participation and I wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them.
'RIP, Diogo and Andre. We will miss you. '
Liverpool -Baas Arne Slot wrote a moving tribute to Jota and swears that he will “never be forgotten.” He started: 'What to say? What can anyone say right now if the shock and the pain are so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words, but I know I don't.
“I only have feelings that I know will share so many people about a person and a player we loved a lot and a family we give so much about.”
There were also tribute to Jurgen Klopp, who described Jota as his 'great friend', as well as Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.