Diogo Jota, a Liverpool and Portugal player, and his younger brother, Penafiel midfielder Andre Silva, were killed in a car accident in Zamora. The route where they tragically crashed has previously been characterised as ‘one of the deadliest’ in Spain.
Jota, 28, from Gondomar, was on his off-season trip in northern Spain after winning the Premier League title, and was returning to the UK just two weeks after marrying his childhood girlfriend, Rute Cardoso, in his hometown of Porto.
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His Lamborghini drove off-road following a flat tyre while passing on the A-52 in Cernadilla, near the Portuguese border. Emergency services confirmed the two deaths in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“From there, a Medical Emergency Unit (UME) and the Primary Care Medical Staff (MAP) from the Mombuey Health Centre were sent, who confirmed the death of two people on the scene,” they added regarding Liverpool’s forward and his brother’s tragic deaths.
Jota’s Crash Was on Dangerous Road in Spain
In 2020 alone, 15,000 drivers picked up speeding fines on A-52
The route on which the incident occurred, however, has a bad reputation for being exceedingly dangerous – and is well-known in the local area for being an area of ‘irresponsible driving’, according to La Opinion de Zamora via Mail Online.
To put things in perspective, the Spanish daily said that approximately 15,000 speeding tickets were issued on the road in 2020 alone.
Just four years ago, a campaign began. That initiative aimed to address, and hence ease, the speeding issue by raising awareness in areas where speeding is widespread and crashes occur.
As a result, the A-52, with its steep curves and frequent wildlife crossings, is regarded as one of the worst roads to drive on. A recent poll conducted by Spain’s Organisation of Users and Consumers confirmed this, as drivers believe A-52 is one of the worst routes in all of Spain.
Participants in the poll expressed concerns about the road’s overall condition, as well as the lack of safety obstacles. A total of 1,259 drivers took part, and they also expressed concern over the ‘excessive volume of roadworks’.
Zamora, where the horrific crash occurred, is known for its uneven and rocky terrain. What doesn’t help is that the A-52 travels through mountainous areas of northern Spain, where fog and inadequate lighting are now causing problems for vehicles.
Despite its obvious difficulties, cars frequently use the road to reach the ports of Santander and Bilbao. Jota, who had recently undergone lung surgery, was returning to England to resume training for the 2025/26 season.
According to The Metro, Jota and his brother, who played in Portugal’s second tier, were instructed by specialists not to fly after the former’s surgery, so they drove to Santander to join a ferry when his tyre blew out. CNN Portugal’s Rui Laura stated:
“He had lung surgery, and he was instructed not to travel after that. He was on his way to Santander, a northern Spanish port city, to take the ferry to the UK and continue with the automobile once there.
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