All the evidence so far suggests that Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota was driving when his car crashed on a Spanish motorway, and he was likely speeding, say police. The 28-year-old Liverpool player was killed along with his brother, André Silva, 25, when their Lamborghini car had a suspected tyre blowout in northwestern Zamora province early last Thursday.
Spain’s Guardia Civil police force stated at the time that the car had apparently been overtaking on the A52 motorway near Palacios de Sanabria when it left the road and burst into flames. “Everything also points to a possible excessive speed beyond the speed limit of the road,” said Zamora’s local traffic police.
Tyre marks were analysed some distance from where the Lamborghini’s tyre blew out, with police confirming that they had studied the marks left by one of the Lamborghini’s tyres. “All the tests carried out so far indicate that the driver of the crashed vehicle was Diogo Jota.” An expert report is being prepared for the courts regarding the accident, and the investigation has been complicated by the intensity of the fire that almost completely destroyed the car.
The accident occurred just 11 days after Jota married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, in Portugal. The couple had three children together. The brothers were heading to the Spanish port of Santander so that Jota could return to Liverpool for pre-season training. Their funeral took place in their hometown of Gondomar, near Porto, over the weekend.
Tyre marks were reportedly visible about 100m (330ft) from the moment of impact. Some suggestions had arisen that the asphalt on the road was uneven where the crash took place, but police informed Spanish media that it was not considered an accident “black spot” and that the road should have been driveable beyond the speed limit of 120km/h (75mph).
