For Diogo Jota’s family, the grief is still raw. The Liverpool forward’s sudden death in a car crash alongside his younger brother Andre Silva has left a hole that time has not yet managed to fill.
Their grandfather, Fernando Silva, has now spoken for the first time about the pain of losing both grandsons on the same night.
Tragedy That Shook Football
Jota, just 28, and his 25-year-old brother Andre were travelling in a lime green Lamborghini Huracan when they crashed on a motorway in northern Spain on July 3.
The timing made it even more devastating—barely two weeks after Jota married his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, and only two months after lifting the Premier League title with Liverpool under new boss Arne Slot.
The football world responded with an outpouring of grief.
Tributes echoed through stadiums across England and Portugal, but for the family, the shock has never faded.
Learning the Worst From the Television
Fernando recalled the heartbreaking moment he found out. “I was watering the plants outside,” he said.
“My son-in-law told me to come inside. I sat on the sofa, turned on the TV, and that’s how I found out.”
At first, he only knew about Diogo. Later, it was confirmed that Andre had also died.
His wife, Deolinda, learned the news in the presence of a doctor. “If one had died, it would have been very sad,” she said quietly, “but both going like this is truly heartbreaking.”
Unanswered Questions About the Crash
The family still doesn’t have all the details about what happened that early morning.
Spanish police believe the £180,000 sports car was speeding as the brothers drove toward Santander, hoping to catch a ferry to the UK.
Reports suggest the car caught fire, but Fernando says he knows little beyond what he saw on television.
Police tests pointed to Jota being behind the wheel, and a full report is still being prepared for a Spanish judge.
Meanwhile, locals have criticised the poor state of that stretch of road near Cernadilla, close to Spain’s north-west border with Portugal.
A Final Conversation Remembered
Fernando also recalled the last time he spoke with his grandson. The day before the crash, they spoke over the phone about football.
“I played for many years,” Fernando said. “Diogo’s last words to me were, ‘Grandad, I’m like you.’”
Rute’s Struggle to Carry On
For Jota’s widow, Rute, the days since the tragedy have been almost unbearable.
She broke down in tears last month when Wolves—her husband’s former club—paid tribute to him at Molineux.
Since then, she has left Liverpool and returned home to Gondomar with the couple’s three young children.
She is staying with her sister for support, and one of her household staff has remained to help care for the kids.
“Our great-grandchildren are living with Rute’s sister,” Fernando explained. “The family is doing everything to help her cope.”
A Loss That Will Never Be Forgotten
For Fernando and Deolinda, the pain is constant. “They are always with me in my thoughts, every day,” he said.
Their grief mirrors that of countless fans who admired Jota’s talent and determination on the pitch, but for his grandparents, this is deeply personal—a daily reminder of two young lives cut tragically short.