Mourners have attended the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva in their hometown of Gondomar, Portugal
Family members and leading football figures were seen filing into the church, as hundreds gathered outside to pay their respects
There is a shared sombreness as teammates past and present walk in together, writes reporter Sofia Ferreira Santos
The brothers died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday - officials say it went off the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle
The Liverpool forward, 28, married his long-term partner just 11 days before the crash - they have three children
Watch as Liverpool teammates arrive to pay their respects
While mourners gather at the site of Diogo Jota's funeral in Gondomar, Portugal, we're also seeing supporters gather at Anfield to pay their respects.
Flowers, interspersed with red scarves and Liverpool memorabilia, have been laid and messages of Liverpool's famous motif 'You'll Never Walk Alone' line the tributes.
Matt Graveling
Sports reporter, in Gondomar
Carlos and his wife Fernanda
With less than an hour before the funeral is due to begin, a number of fans have started to gather along the metal railings outside the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar.
There is a pronounced hush in the area, most people just standing quietly and gathering their thoughts.
One fan, Carlos, tells me he grew up watching Jota play, and that he's travelled an hour to be here to pay his respects.
"He had such a big impact on young kids in the region," Carlos says, adding he was a "good footballer but a great human being".
We're beginning to see images of mourners arriving ahead of the service in Gondomar, including several leading figures from Portuguese football.
We've also seen live shots of members of the brothers' family arriving, including Diogo Jota's wife, Rute Cardoso.
The funeral is expected to begin in just under an hour (at 10:00 BST).
Image source, Getty ImagesCurrent Portugal manager Roberto Martinez was seen arriving shortly after 09:00
Image source, ReutersAlso in Gondomar this morning is former Portugal manager Fernando Santos (centre), who gave Jota his debut for the national side
Image source, PA MediaManchester City's Ruben Dias, who played alongside Jota with the national team, has also flown in for today's service
Sofia Ferreira Santos
Reporting from Gondomar
Outside the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar, the media has just received a short briefing.
We're told the family wants the ceremony to be private, and that yesterday's wake - when hundreds flocked to Gondomar to pay their respects - was too intense.
Nobody is to enter the church, but sound of the private service will be played outside.
An area is being created for people to gather. It's not clear how long the service will last.
Image source, Getty ImagesWhen Liverpool kicks-off the domestic football season with their Community Shield fixture against Crystal Palace next month, you can expect to hear Diogo Jota's song ring out in Wembley Stadium.
As the past few days' tributes make clear, the forward was much-loved among the Liverpool fanbase for his guile and goal scoring prowess, and was rewarded in kind with his very own anthem on the terraces.
Referenced by Liverpool manager Arne Slot in an emotional tribute, the song - a play on Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival - goes:
"Oh, he wears the number 20,
He will take us to victory,
And when he’s running down the left wing,
He’ll cut inside and score for LFC.
He’s a lad from Portugal,
Better than Figo don’t you know,
Oh, his name is Diogo!"
Image source, ReutersFrom the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, tributes were paid to the late footballer Diogo Jota on Friday night.
At the Oasis reunion tour in Wales, the first time the band had played in 16 years, an image of Jota appeared while the band played their hit Live Forever.
Elsewhere at the Fifa Club World Cup, Portuguese midfielder Pedro Neto held a shirt featuring Jota and his brother André Silva's names.
Image source, Getty ImagesSofia Ferreira Santos
Reporting from Gondomar
Antônio Moreira set off early this morning to be one of the first outside the Igreja de Matriz in Gondomar, where the funeral of Diogo Jota and André Silva will take place this morning.
“I know I won’t be able to go inside, but I wanted to pay my respects,” he tells me from the barrier outside the church.
Antônio shows me his phone case - a little old, he says - with the emblem of Porto FC.
He recalls fond memories of seeing Diogo Jota on the field, but adds that the brothers were so much more than football stars.
“They were good people, from a humble family, people like us.”
This has hit him especially hard, he says, 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 says, “but it’s hard, it’s really hard.”
“This is what I think: losing your parents is hard, really hard. But losing your children is unimaginable.”
Jota's death on Thursday came 11 days after he married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he shared three children.
The pair could be seen looking joyful on their wedding day on 22 June.
"Yes, forever," he wrote in a post on X last week, accompanied by the infinity symbol and photos of the couple tying the knot.
Image source, Diogo Jota via X
Image source, Diogo Jota via XJota and his brother died in a car crash near the Spanish province of Zamora, in the early hours of Thursday.
The incident happened at around 00:30 local time, the Spanish Guardia Civil said.
Jota had been advised against flying after undergoing minor surgery, so was travelling by car to take the ferry back to England for the start of pre-season training on Monday.
It is understood Jota had recently completed the journey travelling the other way in order to get to Porto for his wedding, which took place just 11 days before the crash.
Spanish police said their car, a Lamborghini, left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle and then caught fire.
Image source, Action Images/ReutersDiogo Jota training with Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk in March
Tributes from Liverpool and Portugal have been pouring in since Jota's death on Thursday.
Here’s a brief recap of how Diogo Jota has been remembered:
Image source, Getty ImagesDiogo Jota reached the pinnacle of his football career for both club and country this season, winning the Premier League title with Liverpool and helping Portugal to victory in the final of the Uefa Nations League.
He began his career with Portuguese side Pacos de Ferreira and joined Atletico Madrid in 2016.
Jota had successful loan spells with both Porto and Wolves, helping the latter earn promotion to the Premier League in 2018 before making his move to Molineux a permanent one that summer.
After two years in the West Midlands, the forward transferred to Liverpool in a move worth an initial £41m and went on to score 65 goals in 182 appearances during five seasons at Anfield.
His honours with the Reds also included one FA Cup (2022) and two EFL Cup (2022 & 2024) winners medals.
Internationally, Jota scored 14 goals in 49 appearances for Portugal.
Image source, EPAPortugal's President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in Gondomar on Friday
Family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva held a private gathering at the Chapel of the Resurrection in Gondomar, the brothers’ hometown in Portugal, yesterday.
The event turned into a public gathering, with people queuing up outside to pay their respects.
Portugal's President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, senior Liverpool Football Club officials, and well-known football figures, including Portugal and Manchester United player Diogo Dalot, former Liverpool player Fabinho, and Portugal and RB Leipzig player Andre Silva, attended the wake.
Sofia Ferreira Santos
Reporting from Porto
The sun has risen here in Porto, Portugal, about a 10-minute drive away from where the funeral of Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, will take place later this morning.
Though at the moment all I can hear are birds and the odd car driving by, I expect that will change in the coming hours as the brothers’ family, friends and fans pay their last respects.
We expect the funeral to begin at 10:00 BST.
Image source, Sofia Ferreira Santos/BBC