Liverpool fans mourn Diogo Jota. © APA/afp / PAUL BARKER

Doctors advised Diogo Jota against flying

According to media reports, Portuguese football player Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident, wanted to catch a ferry from Spain to Great Britain.

July 03, 2025

From: dpa

After minor lung surgery, his doctors advised him against flying because of pressure fluctuations, reported the Portuguese sports newspaper "A Bola" and the British BBC. When flying, the cabin pressure first drops to a lower level and then rises back to normal on the ground upon landing.

The 28-year-old Portuguese international from Liverpool FC and his brother André (25) were therefore traveling in a rented sports car from Porto to the port city of Santander on the Spanish north coast, where they wanted to take a ferry to Portsmouth, according to Spanish media reports.

Mourning is also taking place in his homeland. © ANSA / TIL BUERGY

Shortly after crossing the Portuguese-Spanish border, their vehicle went off the road in the Spanish region of Zamora on Thursday night and burst into flames. For Jota and his brother, help came too late.

Was a burst tire the cause of the accident?

According to initial investigations, Spanish police believe that one of the two rear tires burst during an overtaking maneuver, causing the vehicle to crash through a guardrail and into the median of the motorway. However, the brothers may also have been driving the sports car at excessive speed. All that remains of the car is a completely destroyed and burnt-out wreck.