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9 minutes agoSofia Ferreira Santos

BBC News

Reporting fromGondomar, PortugalReuters

Footballers Diogo Jota and André Silva have been honoured by their family, friends and teammates at a joint funeral in Portugal.

Jota, 28, was laid to rest alongside his brother, Silva, 25, after they died in a car crash on Thursday.

Hundreds of locals and supporters gathered at the Igreja Matriz in Gondomar, where the brothers are from, on Saturday.

The funeral also brought together huge names from across football, including Jota's teammates Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, who were seen carrying floral tributes into the church ahead of the ceremony.

The service was held in Gondomar, a small Portuguese city near Porto, that has been left reeling after the brothers died.

Jota and Silva died at about 00:30 local time in the Spanish province of Zamora.

It is understood they were on the way to take a ferry and return to Liverpool for Jota's pre-season training when the accident happened.

The Portugal forward had undergone minor surgery and doctors had advised him against flying.

The accident came just 11 days after Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children.

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Players from Liverpool FC, who only three months ago were celebrating their Premier League win, arrived at the funeral together.

Watching them walk in line with each other, almost as they do when walking onto the pitch, was an emotional experience.

There was a strong feeling of community, but also a shared sombreness.

Many were visibly upset, with supporters on the other side of the barrier applauding the players.

Many wore football shirts and carried merchandise from the different teams across Portugal and abroad where Jota and Silva, who played for local club Penafiel, spent some time in.

Sofia Ferreira Santos/BBC

One of these fans was Antônio Moreira, who set off early in the morning to be one of the first outside the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar where the funeral took place.

"I know I won't be able to go inside, but I wanted to pay my respects," he told me from the barrier outside the church.

Antônio later showed me his phone case - a little old, he said - with the emblem of FC Porto.

Antônio recalled fond memories of Jota on the field, as he spent a year playing for the local club, but added that the brothers were so much more than football stars.

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"They were good people, from a humble family, people like us."

This has hit him especially hard, he said, as 40 years ago his family went through a similar tragedy.

His aunt, uncle and young cousin died in a car accident three days before Christmas, leaving his other cousin behind.

Jota and Silva may not have been his direct family, he said, but their deaths felt personal.

"This is what I think: losing your parents is hard, really hard.

But losing your children is unimaginable," he added.

Sofia Ferreira Santos/BBC

Jota's journey as a player inspired many people here in Gondomar, football fan Fábio Silva told me.

He has kept up with the brothers since they started in the local clubs - and said he had to be here for their final journey.

"Despite the impact they had on football, and even financially, they never let it show," he told me, adding the family are well-loved in the town.

"The community is sad, devastated," he said.

Having spent some time with them over the years, Fábio said there was only one reason he was here: "Respect for the brothers, the family."

Sofia Ferreira Santos/BBC

Avid football fans Fábio and Rafaela travelled from the nearby town Lordelo to honour Jota and Silva.

Wearing Jota's shirt, Fábio said it was important to him to be here "for Jota's final day".

Nodding, Rafaela agreed, but said it was also beautiful.

"This is an example that you need to live life to the max," Rafaela said, "because you never know when will be your last day."

"Say everything you want to say, and need to say - tomorrow could be too late," Fábio added.

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