ACI Prensa Staff, 09 July, 2025 / 7:19 pm (ACI Africa).
In an atmosphere of deep recollection and sadness, but also of hope, the funeral of Portuguese soccer players Diogo Jota of the Liverpool Football Club and his brother André Silva, who died last Thursday in a traffic accident in Zamora, Spain, was held on July 5. Jota’s marriage to Rute Cardoso had been solemnized in the Church just 11 days prior. They have three children.
At the funeral, which took place in the town of Gondomar’s main church on the outskirts of Porto, Portugal, the coffins were brought in as the church bells rang. The funeral was attended by several of Jota's teammates, including Liverpool F.C. captain Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Argentine Alexis MacAllister, Uruguayan Darwin Nuñez and coach Arne Slot.
Father Alípio Germano Barbosa, who was the pastor of the church in Gondomar for more than 18 years and who gave Diogo and André their First Communion, fondly recalled the time the brothers were part of his parish community.
"I lived here for 18 and a half years, and closely followed the human and Christian growth of these two young men, with great affection for them and their family," the priest who attended the funeral told AP.
"They were very well-behaved, humble, and courageous boys. In fact, following in the steps of their parents and grandparents, they were deeply connected to the local community and, naturally, participated in community life, the sacraments, Christian fellowship, and communion," Germano added.
