Funeral for Diogo Jota and André Silva held in Portugal

Footballers Diogo Jota and André Silva have been honoured by their family, friends and teammates at a joint funeral in Portugal.

Jota, 28, was laid to rest alongside his brother, Silva, 25, after they died in a car crash on Thursday.

Hundreds of locals and supporters gathered at the Igreja de Matriz in Gondomar, where the brothers are from, on Saturday.

The funeral also brought together huge names from across football, including Jota’s teammates Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson, who were seen carrying floral tributes into the church ahead of the ceremony.

The service was held in Gondomar, a small Portuguese city near Porto, that has been left reeling after the brothers died.

Players from Liverpool FC, who only three months ago were celebrating their Premier League win, arrived at the funeral together.

Watching them walk in line with each other, almost as they do when walking onto the pitch, was an emotional experience.

There was a strong feeling of community, but also a shared sombreness.

Many were visibly upset, with supporters on the other side of the barrier applauding the players. One woman in the crowd shouted towards them as they walked in: “Força!” – strength.

Family and close friends walked into the church in complete silence, many of them with their heads bowed down as the church bell rung.

One person in the procession held up a sign with Silva’s photograph, which read: “Para sempre um de nós.” (Forever one of us.)

So much was the brothers’ impact on football and their local community that some of the guests had to watch the ceremony from outside of the church, often hugging and comforting one another.

Locals and football fans in the crowd watched silently for most of the service, which went on for about an hour.

Many wore football shirts and carried merchandise from the different teams across Portugal and abroad where Jota and Silva, who played for local club Penafiel, spent some time in.

One of these fans was Antônio Moreira, who set off early in the morning to be one of the first outside the Igreja de Matriz where the funeral took place.

“I know I won’t be able to go inside, but I wanted to pay my respects,” he told me from the barrier outside the church.

Antônio later showed me his phone case – a little old, he said – with the emblem of FC Porto.

Antônio recalled fond memories of Jota on the field, as he spent a year playing for the local club, but added 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 said, 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 said, but their deaths felt personal.

“This is what I think: losing your parents is hard, really hard. But losing your children is unimaginable,” he added.

Jota’s journey as a player inspired many people here in Gondomar, football fan Fábio Silva told me.

He has kept up with the brothers since they started in the local clubs – and said he had to be here for their final journey.

“Despite the impact they had on football, and even financially, they never let it show,” he told me, adding the family are well-loved in the town.

“The community is sad, devastated,” he said.

Having spent some time with them over the years, Fábio said there was only one reason he was here: “Respect for the brothers, the family.”

Avid football fans Fábio and Rafaela travelled from the nearby town Lordelo to honour Jota and Silva.

Wearing Jota’s shirt, Fábio said it was important to him to be here “for Jota’s final day”. Both said it meant a lot to the community that so many people showed up to pay their respects.

They watched the ceremony from outside the church, like hundreds of other fans – which Fábio said was hard. Nodding, Rafaela agreed, but said it was also beautiful.

“This is an example that you need to live life to the max,” Rafaela said, “because you never know when will be your last day.”

“Say everything you want to say, and need to say – tomorrow could be too late,” Fábio added.