Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James Honor Diogo Jota After Liverpool Star Dies at Age 28

Superstar athletes Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James took to social media Thursday to pay their respects to Liverpool soccer star Diogo Jota following his death.

Liverpool announced Jota's death early Thursday morning. The Portuguese player was 28 years old:

Ronaldo is soccer's all-time leading goal scorer and a longtime teammate of Jota on the Portugal national team. The Al-Nassr forward made a tribute post to Jota on Instagram in Portuguese, and it translated as follows:

"Doesn't make any sense. Just now we were together in the national team, just now you were married. To your family, to your wife and children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. R.I.P. Diogo and André. We will all miss you."

James, who stars for the Los Angeles Lakers and is among the greatest NBA players of all time, posted the following on X in memory of Jota:

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp also released a statement on Instagram:

"This is a moment where I struggle! There must be a bigger purpose! But I can’t see it! I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother André.
Diogo was a not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! We will miss you so much! All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them!
Rest in peace - Love J"

According to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Jota and his brother, André Silva, died Thursday morning in Zamora, Spain, due to their involvement in a car crash.

The Spanish Civil Guard reported that it believes the vehicle they were in blew a tire, causing them to lose control and go off the road.

Jota had been with Liverpool since 2020 after previous stints with Paços de Ferreira, Atlético Madrid, FC Porto and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

In 395 career matches across all club competitions, Jota scored 133 goals. That included 65 goals in 182 matches for Liverpool.

He was fresh off winning the 2024-25 English Premier League title with Liverpool. He also won the FA Cup and EFL Cup in 2022, and he finished as a UEFA Champions League runner-up that same year.

For his country, Jota scored 14 goals in 49 matches as part of the Portuguese national team. He was part of Portugal's UEFA Nations League-winning squads in 2019 and 2025. Portugal beat Spain for the 2024-25 Nations League title just last month.

Jota married his longtime girlfriend, Rute Cardoso, less than two weeks ago. He leaves behind his wife and their three children.