Pittsburgh Penguins Mourn Tragic Loss of Liverpool Soccer Star Who Passed in Devastating Car Accident

Diogo Jota, 28, passed away earlier today in Spain alongside his younger brother André, dying in a car accident in the Spanish city of Zamora.

The Penguins, sharing the same owner as Liverpool in Fenway Sports Group, posted a tribute to Jota and condolences to his family after his passing.

Jota's passing is a mirror in hockey to the death of Johnny Gaudreau in which a top player in the sport is taken in the prime of their respective careers.

Jota, a star of Premier League champions Liverpool FC & the Portuguese National Soccer Team, was given condolences from all over the soccer world including from his club and country, as well as from former Portuguese teammate Cristiano Ronaldo among those leading the tributes to the deceased forward.

Lionel Messi also posted condolences to Jota, sending a tribute to the star on Instagram.

Similar condolences were had outside of Soccer, including from Fenway Sports Group partner and NBA superstar LeBron James.

Liverpool announced the retirement of Jota's #20 jersey, a rarity in the sport to see numbers taken out of commissions usually done in the case of tragedy such as Jota's passing.

Jota started in his career in Portugal before making the move to Spain with Atletico Madrid although he would be sent on loan back to his native Portugal with powerhouse Porto and later in the Championship, the second tier of British soccer with Wolves, in which Jota played a key role in the club's promotion to the Premier League.

Jota joined Liverpool in 2020, and made 182 appearances for the club, with 65 goals for the Reds in that time. Jota won his first Premier League title this season with Liverpool, having played in 26 games in the EPL for the winners.

Jota won the British FA Cup with Liverpool in 2022, and was a runner-up for the UEFA Champions League the same year.

Internationally, Jota had 49 matches with Portugal along with 14 goals, having won the UEFA Nations League back in June with the Portuguese National Team.

The funeral for Jota is expected to take place this Saturday in his native Portugal in Porto.