by & nbspgavin Blackburn & nbspwith & nbspAP
It’s published •update
Liverpool family and friend forward Dio Gojota and his brother Andre Silva gathered on Friday at the church where their bodies were brought to Wake and funeral after the Portuguese footballer was killed in a car accident in Spain.
Some people hugged and cried before entering Capella da Lesleisan San Cosme, where the brother’s funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday.
Jota, 28, and his 25-year-old brother, were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain after crashing on an isolated highway shortly after midnight on Thursday and exploded into flames.
Spanish officials said their bodies were repatriated to Portugal after being identified by their families.
Jota and his parents both have a home in Gondomar. There he began his childhood career. Gondoma is a working class town next to Porto, where Jota was born.
Jota’s death comes two weeks after he married longtime partner Root Caldoso on vacation from his longtime season, helping Liverpool win the Premier League title. The couple had three children. He is the youngest person born last year.
Spanish police are investigating the cause of the crash, but it did not involve another vehicle, they said.
His brother Silva played with Portuguese club Penafiel in the lower division.
As news of the accident spread, it means a sad dol from the world of Portuguese officials and soccer.
Liverpool fans laid flower leases and team scarves outside Anfield Stadium, but a moment of silence was held before Portugal played Spain at the Women’s European Championships in Switzerland.
The loss felt sharp in his hometown, especially in his first football club, when Jota began playing at the age of nine.
“He never forgot his roots or his friends because he had a group of friends who were with him during training here at Gondoma and he occasionally went to see the Liverpool game in England and invited him,” said Anselmo Sera, SC Director of Gondoma.
“They were like a group of friends that I never forgot over the years.”
