Spanish police say it is believed that star Liverpool forward Diogo Jota was likely driving over the speed limit when he and his brother died in a car crash in the country’s north-west.
Spain’s Civil Guard said on Tuesday local time that while their investigation into the cause of the crash last Thursday was continuing, they believed Jota was driving too fast when his Lamborghini veered off course after a tyre burst.
The civil guard said in a statement that its forensics team was analysing marks left by one of the car’s wheels on the asphalt that pointed to the tyre bursting and whether that and excessive speed caused the crash.
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The police had previously not said if Jota or his 26-year-old brother, André Silva, were driving. On Tuesday they said that it appeared Jota was.
The civil guard had also previously suggested that the pair’s car appeared to have been overtaking another vehicle at the time of the crash.
Having concluded their investigation, police will send a report to the local court before it is made public.
The siblings died in the car when it burst into flames on an isolated section of highway early in the morning.
Portuguese media reported Jota was heading to the northern Spanish city of Santander to take a ferry to England, where he would rejoin his Premier League club after being advised not to fly following a recent lung procedure.
The crumpled, burnt-out wreck of the Lamborghini was removed from the site early on Thursday, but debris remained on the side of the road.
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Jota’s death at the age of 28 sent shock waves through the world of soccer and beyond, with messages of condolences pouring in from national leaders as well as fellow football players.
The Portuguese striker was renowned globally for his exploits on the pitch.
He scored 47 goals in 123 matches for Liverpool, where he played for the past five seasons. He also made 49 appearances for Portugal’s national team.
The loss was felt sharply in his home town, especially at his first soccer club, where Jota started playing at age nine.
Liverpool Football Club fans have been united in their outpouring of grief and displays in tribute to Diogo Jota outside Anfield. (Reuters: Phil Noble)
“He never forgot his roots, nor his friends, because he had a group of friends who were with him in the training here in Gondomar and who he even invited from time to time to go and watch Liverpool games in England,” Gondomar SC director Anselmo Serra told The Associated Press.
“They were like a group of friends that he never forgot over the years.“
The brothers’ funeral was held in Portugal on Saturday, where players from Liverpool and the Portuguese national team joined members of Jota’s family with red floral arrangements in the shape of a soccer shirt adorned with his club number, 20.
Portugal international Rúben Neves served as a pallbearer for Jota a day after playing for Al Hilal at the Club World Cup in the United States.
“More than a friendship, we’re family, and we’re not going to stop being family just because you’ve decided to sign a contract a little further away from us,” he said.
“I’ll make sure you’re always there and I’ll make sure your family never lacks anything while you’re there, far away but thinking of us, waiting for us.”
The private service was presided over by the Bishop of Porto, Manuel Linda.
In an emotional homily addressed to Jota’s parents, his wife and their three children, the bishop said “solidarity in love is always stronger than death”.
The church was filled to capacity and a couple of dozen people followed the service via loudspeaker from outside.
The fatal incident also came just two weeks after Jota married his partner of 10 years and mother of his three children, Rute Cardoso.
In the days that followed his death, Liverpool fans flocked to the club’s home ground, Anfield, in a mass display of grief and tribute to Jota.
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