The late Liverpool and Wolves striker is expected to be honoured when the two clubs meet in the FA Cup fifth round on Friday evening
It’s been just over eight months since Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, died in a car accident. The Reds and Wolves, the club Liverpool signed Jota from in 2020, will face each other in the FA Cup fifth round on Friday evening.
The Midlands side are set to honour the striker in a touching tribute before the game, with the match itself to be televised live on the BBC. Jota, 28, and Andre, 25, lost their lives in the early hours of July 3, 2025.
Their journey stemmed from practical necessity as the Portugal international was unable to fly following a recent lung operation.
The Lamborghini Huracan carrying Jota and his brother left the road, erupting in flames. After his lung surgery, Jota had been advised against air travel and was instead driving to Santander.
He and his brother planned to reach England on a ferry via Benavente. They were ultimately due to dock in Portsmouth, but never made it.
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A police investigation determined a tyre blowout happened whilst Jota tried to overtake another vehicle on the A-52, roughly 70 miles west of Valladolid. This then caused the car to leave the road around 12.40am and become consumed by flames.
Firefighters and emergency services succeeded in extinguishing the blaze. However, it was confirmed shortly afterwards that both occupants had tragically died shortly after help had reached the scene.
Reports suggested the fire damage to the wreckage was so severe that it initially hampered attempts to identify the two victims.
Discussing the travel plans of the brothers following Jota’s operation, Rui Laura from CNN Portugal revealed: “The surgery he had had was lung surgery, and he had been advised against flying following this.
“He was on his way to the northern Spanish port city of Santander to cross the ferry and reach the UK that way and carry on with the car once he reached Britain. He was on his way to Liverpool with his brother.”
The Portuguese forward had just exchanged vows with his wife Rute Cardoso, a mere 11 days before the heartbreaking incident. The football world was left in shock by the sudden loss, with tributes pouring in from fans and fellow players globally.
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The FA Cup match marks the second encounter between Liverpool and Wolves this week. Arne Slot’s team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Rob Edwards’s side in the Premier League on Tuesday night.
Both sets of supporters used the 18th minute of the match to sing about Jota in harmony, with the game being the first clash between the sides at Molineux since the tragic death of the brothers.
Jota donned the number 18 shirt during his stint at Wolves, which is why there was applause during that moment of the game. Wolves supporters also displayed a large banner, whilst loud chants of ‘Diogo’ echoed around the stadium.
The Liverpool fans in the away section joined in and unfurled a banner of their own, which declared: ‘Obrigado Diogo, forever our number 20’.
In their inaugural home match of the Premier League season, Wolves also honoured their former player. The club revealed a massive tifo from the top of Molineux’s South Bank stand before the team’s match against Manchester City.
The Portuguese international was at Molineux for three seasons from 2017 to 2020, playing an instrumental part in reviving and cementing Wolves’ position as a Premier League side. He went on to net 65 goals in 182 matches for Liverpool, clinching the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup.
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