Liverpool soccer star Diogo Jota killed in car crash in Spain, police say

Diogo Jota, the celebrated Portuguese soccer star who recently won the English Premier League with Liverpool Football Club, has been killed in a car crash, authorities said Thursday

Diogo Jota, the celebrated Portuguese soccer star who recently won the English Premier League with Liverpool Football Club, has been killed in a car crash, authorities said Thursday.

The club issued a statement saying it was "devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota."

The Guardia Civil confirmed in a statement that the 28-year-old star and his brother, André Silva, 25, also a professional soccer player, died after their car crashed in the Zamora region at 12:30 a.m.

Tributes laid for Diogo Jota at Anfield stadium in Liverpool, England, on Thursday.Jess Hornby / Getty Images"In the absence of a conclusion of the experts evidence, everything points that a car left the road, due to a tire blowout while overtaking," the police said. The car caught fire and both vehicle occupants were killed by the accident, the statement added.

The Portuguese national team paid tribute to Jota in a statement on X.