Jurgen Klopp 'heartbroken' as ex-Liverpool boss pays emotional tribute to Diogo Jota

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he has been left "heartbroken" after the death of Diogo Jota at the age of 28. Jota passed away alongside his brother André in a car accident on Thursday morning in Spain.

Klopp was the manager who signed Jota for Liverpool from Wolves in a £45million deal in September 2020. And the German head coach helped develop the Portuguese forward into an excellent player at Anfield.

Jota and his brother were involved in a car at around 00:30 local time on the A52 road near the city of Zamora, close to the Portuguese border. He died just days after getting married to long-term girlfriend Rute Cardoso, with whom he has three children.

Klopp wrote on Instagram: "This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose! But I can’t see it!

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"I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother André. Diogo was a not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! We will miss you so much!

"All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them!
Rest in peace - Love J".

Jota scored 65 goals and contributed 26 assists in 182 appearances for Liverpool. He won the Premier League, FA Cup and two League Cups during his time with the club.

Liverpool said in a statement: “Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.

“Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support.”

Jota and his brother died after atyre blowout on the Lamborghini they were travelling in caused a crash before a fire broke out, leaving a devastating wreckage by the side of the road. Medical personnel confirmed the deaths of the two occupants of the vehicle shortly after arriving at the scene.

A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Zamora said: "The investigation into the crash is being carried out by Civil Guard traffic officers. We believe the car suffered a blowout from the marks on the road. The full police report once it is completed will be submitted to a duty court in Zamora which has launched an ongoing judicial investigation into this crash.

“That report is going to take time to complete, probably about four or five days but possibly longer. At this moment in time it is impossible to say at exactly what speed the car was going but that is something the Civil Guard investigators will be able to detail at least approximately in their final report from things like the skid marks. What I can confirm is that no other vehicle was involved and no-one else was hurt."