Diogo Jota death latest: Liverpool manager Slot says footballer was ‘friend to everyone’ after fatal car crash | OneFootball

Liverpool fans leave flowers and tributes outside Anfield after death of Diogo Jota

Liverpool FC’s manager has issued an emotional statement after the team’s forward Diogo Jota was killed in a car crash alongside his brother.

Arne Slot said he 'has no words' to describe pain after Jota’s death, as he paid tribute to the 28-year-old as a “friend to everyone”.

The footballer had been travelling in a Lamborghini with his brother Andre Silva when the car veered off the road and burst into flames following what police suspect was a tyre blowout while overtaking.

The pair were found dead on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora at 12.40am on Thursday. The incident happened just 11 days after Jota, a father of three, married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, in Porto, Portugal.

According to BBC Sport, Jota was returning for pre-season training next week via ferry after being advised not to fly following minor surgery.

Tributes are flooding in for the pair from vast numbers of former players, clubs, sporting figures, and footballing fans, who just months earlier witnessed Jota win his first Premier League title.

In a heartfelt tribute, Cristiano Ronaldo said the death of his Portugal teammate “doesn't make sense”. “We will all miss you,” he added.