A tragic twist of fate ultimately led to the death of footballer Diogo Jota, it’s been revealed, with the star advised by his doctor to drive to Liverpool rather than fly following recent surgery.
The tragic crash took place on a stretch of the A-52 motorwayย near the town of Zamora in Spain, as Diogo Jota travelled back to Liverpool for pre-season training alongside his brother, Andre Silva.
The 28-year-old father of three,ย who had married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso just 11 days ago, died in the accident, which saw his Lamborghini blow a tyre before losing control and bursting into flames.
The pair were both killed in the inferno in the northwest of Spain thatย also claimed the life of his younger brother, Andre Silva.
It is now been revealed that the footballer’s decision to drive followed a request from his doctor, with Jota having recently undergone lung surgery.
The Portugal international was reportedly advised not to fly, instead he planned to sail back to England on a ferry with his brother, with the pair killed as they drove towards the Spanish city of Santander.
Respiratory physiotherapist Miguel Goncalves, who worked with Jota at Hospital Sรฃo Joรฃo in Porto, met with the Liverpool star a matter of hours before the fatal accident.
It was hoped the surgery would allow Jota to return to full fitness, with the footballer described as the “ultimate professional” by Dr Goncalves.
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“I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8:30pm. His brother was a great companion and decided to go with him, to accompany him on the trip, and that way they would also spend more time together,โ Goncalves told Portuguese media.
“They were going to travel at night because it was cooler, but they werenโt going direct,” the doctor explained.
“He told me that the journey would take about eight hours, but that they would stop at a hotel in the Burgos area to rest. Diogo was very aware of his professionalism.”
Revealing the pair were supposed to arrive in Santander today, the surgeon described how the next stage of their journey was to “get the boat and then go to England”.
“The family would arrive later by plane, organise their lives over the weekend and then, on Monday, they had a medical appointment scheduled in Liverpool to assess the situation,” he continued.
“Iโve read some things on the internet that are regrettable, and Iโve even heard some in the media.
The doctor insisted: “To be clear, Diogo and Andre werenโt partying at all, they werenโt in the so-called ‘good mood’ life, they had nothing that deserved any repair. Nothing.”
The pair had planned an overnight stop off in Benavente, before catching a ferry back to Portsmouth in the UK.
“The surgery he had had was lung surgery and he had been advised against flying following this,” Portuguese media had initially reported following news of the crash.
According to reports in Spain he was in the car with his brother Andre Silva, also a professional footballer who played for a team in the Portuguese second division, when the car veered off the road and burst into flames.
The Lamborghini’s tyre is believed to have blown out while overtaking on a section of the A-52 near the town of Cernadilla, close to the border with Portugal.
He is understood to have been on the road with his brother heading to Santander to catch a ferry to the UK on a route heading out of the port of Santander.
The Liverpool squad members was due to return to the club’s Melwood training ground for the start of pre-season training on Tuesday.
The first friendly was due to be against Preston North End on Sunday, July 13.
It comes as mourners are set to gather to honour Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota at a wake in Portugal, ahead of a formal funeral on Saturday.
Jose Manuel Macedo, parish priest at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in Sao Cosme, told PA that a wake for the brothers will take place at 8am at the nearby Capela da Ressurreicao before their funeral at the Igreja Matriz on Saturday at 10am.