Spanish Police Suggest Diogo Jota Was Speeding Before Fatal Car Crash

According to the Spanish Guardia Civil police force, the car driven by Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota was likely speeding when it crashed on a Spanish motorway, according to the latest evidence. The 28-year-old Liverpool player and his brother Andrés Silva, 25, were killed in the accident that occurred in the northwestern Zamora province early last Thursday.

The crash occurred when the Lamborghini, driven by Jota, had a suspected tyre blowout on the A52 motorway near Palacios de Sanabria. The car veered off the road and burst into flames.

Local traffic police in Zamora suggest that "everything points to a possible excessive speed beyond the speed limit of the road [highway]." They have studied the marks left by one of the Lamborghini's tyres and have found that "all the tests carried out so far indicate that the driver of the crashed vehicle was Diogo Jota."

The expert report on the accident is being prepared for the courts, and the investigation is said to have been complicated by the intensity of the fire that largely destroyed the car.

The accident occurred 11 days after Jota had married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso in Portugal. The couple had three children. The brothers were heading to the Spanish port of Santander so Jota could return to Liverpool for pre-season training.

Their funeral took place in their hometown of Gondomar, near Porto at the weekend. Reports suggest that tyre marks were visible around 100m (330ft) from the moment of impact.

Despite initial suggestions that the asphalt on the road was uneven where the crash took place, police told Spanish media it was not an accident "black spot" and the road should have been driveable beyond the speed limit of 120km/h (75mph).

Jota, who was a Portuguese hero, was known for his inspiring play on the field. The football community has been paying tribute to him and his brother.