Mourners gather for Diogo Jota's funeral in Portugal

Mourners are gathering in Porto, Portugal for the funeral of soccer star Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, who died in a car crash this week.

Jota, a forward for Liverpool and Portugal, and his brother were killed in Spain after their vehicle veered off a motorway and crashed following a suspected tyre blowout.

The funeral is being held in their hometown of Gondomar, on the outskirts of Porto. The service will be conducted by the bishop of Porto, local media reported.

Among those pictured arriving at the funeral were Jota's Liverpool teammates, Manchester City football player Ruben Dias and former football player for Portugal Ricardo Carvalho.

Players, coaching staff and representatives of Liverpool Football Club arrive for the funeral in Portugal

Portuguese Manchester City's football player Ruben Dias arriving at the funeral in Gondomar

Michael Edwards, Chief Executive of Liverpool FC, pictured arriving at the funeral

Yesterday, hundreds of mourners attended a wake for the brothers.

Among those who came to offer their condolences were Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, Jota's agent Jorge Mendes and Porto club president Andre Villas-Boas.

"Football is truly in mourning. Diogo was an icon of the talent Portuguese football represents," said football federation chief Pedro Proenca.

President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa paid his respects at the wake of Diogo Jota

'Rest in peace'

Mourners arrived carrying wreaths of flowers before the wake was opened to members of the public.

The death of the Portugal international and his brother has triggered an outpouring of emotion in football, and beyond.

Liverpool opened a book of condolences and lowered flags to half-mast, with dozens of supporters laying a sea of flowers, balloons, Jota shirts, and scarves with the message "Rest in peace Diogo Jota", outside Anfield.

At the Diogo Jota football academy, close to Gondomar SC where the ex-Porto and Atletico Madrid player took his first steps in the game, well-wishers created a memorial with flowers, scarves, candles and shirts.

"Thank you, Diogo Jota," read a child's handwritten message.

Well-wishers view flowers, scarves and shirts at a memorial set up close to Anfield football ground

Pedro Neves, who was friends with Jota at school in Gondomar, said he "will remember him as someone who was very friendly, very courteous, who loved everyone, who always had a smile on his face".

"He left us too young, it's not fair. But that's how life is sometimes," Mr Neves, 31, told AFP.

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who brought Jota to the Reds in 2020, has said he was "heartbroken" while the club spoke of an "unimaginable loss".

Mr Klopp's successor at Anfield, Arne Slot, said everyone associated with the club owed it to Jota to "stand together and be there for one another".

Jota was remembered at the Club World Cup in the United States, with a one-minute silence held at the quarter-final between Brazil's Fluminense and Saudi Arabia's Al Hilal in Orlando.

He had married his partner Rute Cardoso on 22 June, posting a video of their wedding on Instagram just hours before the crash.

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