Diogo Jota's widow arrives ahead of tragic striker's funeral

 The grieving wife of Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota has arrived ahead of his funeral in Portugal later today. 

Rute Cardoso, who married the 28-year-old footballer less than a month before his tragic death alongside his brother Andre Silva on Thursday, appeared outside the church on Saturday ahead of the ceremony at 10am. 

It came after several members of the current Premier League side touched down in Jota's hometown of Gondomar on Friday before visiting the Chapel of the Resurrection where the body of the 28-year-old and his brother lay at rest. 

Players including Virgil Van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher and manager Arne Slot were given a round of applause by local mourners as they passed through the streets to visit the chapel last night.

A handful of former Liverpool stars also made the trip, among them Brighton James Milner and Ajax's Jordan Henderson. The latter jetted to Portugal after paying a heartfelt tribute during a tearful return to Anfield earlier in the day. 

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Henderson was Jota’s captain when the Portuguese star arrived at the club in September 2020, the pair quickly developing a close friendship, and the England international was left in a state of disbelief by the news of his death. 

A host of Premier League stars including Manchester City icon Bernardo Silva, Manchester United's Diogo Dalot and Nottingham Forest's Jota Silva have also made the trip to Portugal ahead of the funeral taking place at 10am today. 

Father-of-three Jota died on Thursday morning when their green 200mph £180,000 Lamborghini Huracan burst into flames after a suspected tyre blowout along a highway near Zamora in north-west Spain.