Diogo Jota's Agent Jorge Mendes Tearful After Accompanying Liverpool Star's Family to Funeral Home
Diogo Jota's agent Jorge Mendes broke down in tears after accompanying the footballer's family to the funeral home to identify the bodies.
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Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in northwestern Spain after their car caught fire. Both were declared dead on the scene.
News of Jota’s passing on Thursday morning sent shockwaves through the sporting world. Although publications swiftly reported the news, fans sought reliable confirmation before accepting that the high-profile footballer they watched every week was truly gone.
Liverpool confirmed the tragic news, saying they were devastated by the passing of their player.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Jota's international teammate, was one of the top players to pay his tribute. Lionel Messi, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Kylian Mbappe and other footballers followed suit.
Manchester United and Everton also shared touching tributes. European clubs led by Real Madrid and Bayern Munich also mourned the 28-year-old.
Football fans were shocked by the news and joined hands in remembering a player they watched every week.
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The super agent escorted Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, and his mother to the morgue to identify the bodies. Overwhelmed with grief, Cardoso wept both upon entering and again as she departed.
The Liverpool star's wake is set for Friday before the funeral, reportedly on Saturday, July 5.
Mendes, who represented Cristiano Ronaldo before, was in tears as he reacted to Jota's tragic death.
"I still don't believe it, I still don't believe it, this is very difficult, very difficult for me. He was a great husband, a great husband and a great professional," Mendes told The Athletic.
Jota came through the ranks at Gondomar and then Paços de Ferreira before making his professional debut in 2014.
Atletico Madrid signed him in 2016 before sending him on loan to Porto, where he made his name.
He moved to Wolves in 2017 and helped them stay in the Premier League before joining Liverpool in 2020 under Jurgen Klopp. He went on to play nearly 200 games and scored 65 goals.
He won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a League Cup.
In a related story, reported on Diogo Jota's final public message to his wife before passing away.
The striker commented on his wife's wedding post with "but I'm the lucky one" and it has since gotten thousands of likes.
The couple met when they were teenagers and got engaged in 2022 before their wedding weeks ago.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
