Diogo Jota spoke to a close friend on the phone just hours before the car crash that claimed his and his brother’s lives.

Diogo Jota reportedly spoke with a close friend just hours before the tragic car accident that claimed his and his brother Andre Silva’s lives.

The fatal crash occurred early Thursday morning in Zamora, a region in northwestern Spain. According to preliminary police reports, the Lamborghini they were driving experienced a tyre blowout while overtaking on the A52 highway. The vehicle then caught fire and was, according to witnesses who contacted emergency services, quickly “engulfed in flames.”

Spanish authorities, the Guardia Civil, later confirmed the two victims as Liverpool star Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who played for Portuguese second division club Penafiel. The pair were believed to be heading to Santander to board a ferry to England. Jota had recently undergone lung surgery and had been advised not to fly. He had just married his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, on June 22.

Tributes from across the footballing world have poured in since the news broke. Liverpool manager Arne Slot released a heartfelt statement on Thursday night, with club captain Virgil van Dijk and other teammates also expressing their grief.

Jota, originally from Gondomar near Porto, will be buried there on Saturday. He began his football journey at Gondomar SC at the age of 17 before moving to Paços de Ferreira in 2013.

Gondomar SC president Álvaro Cerqueira shared that he spoke with Jota by phone around 10 p.m., less than three hours before the crash. “He was fine,” Cerqueira told Portuguese outlet JN. “We spoke almost every week, and I knew he was in a good place emotionally. He would often come back here to train during the off-season, and his brother would join him. They were both very humble, and their absence leaves a massive void.”

In honor of the brothers, Gondomar has declared a day of mourning on Friday. Flags across municipal buildings will be flown at half-mast. The town’s mayor, Luís Filipe Araújo, praised Jota as “an extraordinary talent and a true ambassador for Gondomar,” highlighting his humility, work ethic, and the pride he brought to his hometown and country through his achievements in football.