Liverpool players were gathering in the small Portuguese town of Gondomar on Saturday for the funeral of their English Premier League soccer teammate Diogo Jota, who passed away with his younger brother in a car crash in Spain on Thursday.
Club captain Virgil Van Dijk, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and manager Arne Slot were among teammates past and present who reached in Portugal late on Friday to pay their respects to the striker and his brother, Andre Silva.
They are anticipated to join the grieving family and hundreds of residents of Gondomar, a small town in northern Portugal where Jota expanded up, for the funeral at the Igreja Matriz church.
Rute Cardoso, who married Jota just weeks ago, is anticipated to be accompanied by the couple's three young children.
Jota's death at the age of 28 sent shock waves through the world of football and beyond, with messages of condolences pouring in from national leaders as well as across the sport.
The brothers were trusted to have been driving to a ferry in Spain to travel to Britain when their Lamborghini veered off the road and exploded into flames after midnight on Thursday.
Police said they suspected a tyre possessed exploded.
