Liverpool players join mourners as soccer star Diogo Jota is laid to rest in his hometown

LONDON — Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and several teammates gathered in Portugal on Saturday to attend the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, following the tragic car crash that claimed both their lives

LONDON — Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and several teammates gathered in Portugal on Saturday to attend the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, following the tragic car crash that claimed both their lives.

The two brothers died early Thursday morning in a crash in Spain’s Zamora province, when the Lamborghini they were traveling in veered off the road.

Jota, 28, had recently celebrated some of the happiest weeks of his life, having married his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, only 11 days earlier. The couple had three young children.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk (left) and Andrew Robertson (right) carry floral tributes that read "20" and "30," the jersey numbers for Jota and Silva, respectively.Octavio Passos / Getty ImagesPortugal and Manchester City player Ruben Dias arrives at the funeral.MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP - Getty ImagesThe funeral was held at Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in the brothers’ hometown of Gondomar, just outside Porto. The church bells tolled, and friends and family wept as they trailed behind the coffins being carried into the church.

Jota’s sudden death has sent shock waves through the soccer world, where the loss of a player in the prime of his career is a rare and heartbreaking tragedy.