By Matthew Cooper Samantha Croal
Diogo Jota’s physiotherapist has paid a heartfelt tribute to the Liverpool player following his tragic passing, emphasising that he wasn’t “partying at all” prior to his fatal accident. Jota and his sibling, Andre Silva, tragically lost their lives in a car collision on Thursday morning. The brothers were travelling through northern Spain when their Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout as they tried to overtake another vehicle, leading to the crash. Miguel Goncalves, who met with Jota just five hours before the tragedy, hailed him as an “unparalleled professional”. In the lead-up to the incident, Jota was contending with pneumothorax – a collapsed lung – but postponed surgery to play for Portugal in their Nations League final victory over Spain last month, where they triumphed on penalties. At the time of the crash, Jota and his brother were en route to Santander to board a ferry to England, as Jota had been advised not to fly due to his medical condition. “I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8:30 p.m,” Goncalves disclosed to the Portuguese publication Record. He recounted how Andre was a devoted brother who chose to accompany Jota on his journey, providing company and allowing them to spend additional time together. They opted to travel by night, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures, though their journey wasn’t direct, reports the Mirror . “He told me that the journey would take about eight hours, but that they would stop at a hotel in the Burgos area to rest. Diogo was very aware of his professionalism. They were only supposed to arrive in Santander today, catch the boat and then go to England. “The family would arrive later by plane, organise their lives over the weekend and then, on Monday, they had a medical appointment scheduled in Liverpool to assess the situation. “I’ve read some things on the internet that are regrettable, and I’ve even heard some in the media. To be clear, Diogo and Andre weren’t partying at all, they weren’t in the so-called ‘good mood’ life, they had nothing that deserved any repair. Nothing.” Goncalves, who is employed at Hospital São João, has been assisting Jota with his post-surgery recovery. “I started working with him last Saturday and I was with him every day until this Wednesday. I said goodbye to him at dinner time,” Goncalves stated. “He made an extraordinary recovery, he was undoubtedly an unparalleled professional. He strictly followed what I told him, as you could see in the way he was recovering. “The base of his right lung had collapsed a little, but with the post-surgery physiotherapy he was practically flawless. When I left him yesterday he was no longer in pain and was going to return to Liverpool. “He was excited, confident in his recovery and enthusiastic about the next season. He told me that he would not go on the pre-season tour that Liverpool is going to Japan to strengthen his recovery, he believed he was going to have a great season.” Liverpool manager Arne Slot also paid a heart-wrenching tribute to Jota, describing him as a “loved one to all”. “What to say? What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words but I know I do not,” Slot expressed. “All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about. My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. “They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss. My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone. “The players, the staff, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club are all with you and from what I have seen today, the same can be said of the wider family of football. This is not solely a response to tragedy. “It is also a reaction to the goodness of the people involved and the respect that so many have for the boys as individuals and for the family as a whole. For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. “Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special. I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it.”