Diogo Jota, Liverpool F.C. soccer player killed in car crash in Spain along with brother, police say

Spanish police say Liverpool F.C. soccer player Diogo Jota and his brother have been killed in a car crash in Spain. The Spanish civil guard confirmed to The Associated Press that Jota and his brother were found dead after their car went off a road near the western city of Zamora.

Police were investigating the causes. They said there were no other vehicles involved.

The 28-year-old Jota and his brother, 25-year-old Andre Silva, both Portuguese players, were in the car.

Jota also played for Portugal’s national team. Silva played with Portuguese club Penafiel in the lower divisions.

“The Portuguese Football Federation and the entire Portuguese football community are completely devastated by the death of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, this morning in Spain,” the Portuguese Football Federation said in a post on social media. “We have lost two champions. Their deaths represent irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything we can to honour their legacy every day.”

The fire department in Castille-Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website that a car had crashed just after midnight Thursday and burst into flames, according to the Reuters news agency. It said two people were found dead in the vehicle, but did not identify them.

The crash came less than a week after Jota got married, Reuters said.

He helped Liverpool win the Premier League championship last season, and the team also won the FA Cup and League Cup.