Doctor Reveals Diogo Jota’s Final Moments Before Tragic Crash
Porto, Portugal / Zamora, Spain — July 5, 2025 — In the wake of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota’s devastating death in a road accident on July 3, his respiratory physiotherapist, Dr. Miguel Gonçalves, has provided poignant insight into the player’s final hours.
Dr. Gonçalves, who treated Jota for a partial pneumothorax (collapsed lung) at Hospital São João in Porto, confirmed that the athlete was in strong spirits and close to full recovery. He spoke with Jota and his brother André around 8:30 PM on July 2, moments before they began their journey to Santander by car — per medical advice to avoid flying after lung surgery. The brothers planned to take an overnight ferry to the UK and arrive back in Liverpool ahead of a scheduled medical assessment on July 7 talksport.com+15lbc.co.uk+15sportbible.com+15.
Gonçalves emphasized that Jota was “no longer in pain,” “excited and confident” about his return to full fitness, and had even opted out of Liverpool’s upcoming Japan tour to prioritize full recovery sportbible.com. He also dispelled rumors that the brothers had been partying before the crash:
“To be clear, Diogo and Andre weren’t partying at all… He made an extraordinary recovery… practically flawless.” hindustantimes.com+4sportbible.com+4sportsmole.co.uk+4
Tragically, the brothers’ Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout on Spain’s A‑52 motorway, near Cernadilla. The vehicle veered off the road and caught fire, with both Jota and André dying at the scene talksport.com+6lbc.co.uk+6en.wikipedia.org+6.
The football world remains in mourning: Liverpool have postponed all pre-season training, and a wake was held in Portugal on July 4. Plans are underway for a funeral service on July 5 in Gondomar talksport.com+9theguardian.com+9thesun.co.uk+9. Jota, aged 28, leaves behind his wife Rute Cardoso and their three young children.
💡 Summary
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Recovery | Jota had nearly fully healed from lung surgery. |
| Final night | At 8:30 PM, he said goodbye to his physiotherapist. |
| Travel plan | Medical advice: no flying → car to Santander → ferry to UK. |
| Crash | Happened around 00:30–00:40 CEST, tyre burst, Lamborghini crashed. |
