On July 3, 2025, the football world was stunned by the news that Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother, Andre Silva, perished in a horrific car accident on the A-52 highway near Cernadilla, Zamora province, Spain. The Lamborghini Huracan they were in burst into flames after losing control, leaving behind a haunting scene of a charred wreckage and debris scattered everywhere. Initially, police concluded that the accident was caused by a tire blowout while Jota attempted to overtake another vehicle. However, a new discovery at the scene has raised fresh questions, revealing critical evidence that may be the direct cause of this tragedy.

A Fateful Journey

Diogo Jota, 28, was at the peak of his career. He had just helped Liverpool win the 2024-2025 Premier League title and was a key player for the Portuguese national team. Just 10 days before the accident, Jota celebrated a dream wedding with his long-time partner, Rute Cardoso, in his hometown of Porto. The couple, along with their three young children, seemed to be living their happiest days. However, a recent lung surgery had led doctors to advise Jota against air travel due to risks from pressure changes. As a result, he and his brother Andre, a 26-year-old player for Penafiel FC, decided to drive from Portugal to Santander, Spain, to catch a ferry back to England in preparation for the new season with Liverpool.

The brothers’ journey began on the evening of July 2. According to physiotherapist Miguel Goncalves, who spoke to Jota for the last time at 8:30 p.m. that night, Jota was full of energy and optimistic about his recovery. “He told me the trip would take about eight hours, and they planned to rest at a hotel in Burgos before continuing,” Goncalves told Record. No one could have imagined that, just a few hours later, at around 12:35 a.m. on July 3, a loud explosion would echo on the A-52, followed by flames soaring into the night sky.

A Haunting Scene

When rescue teams arrived, they found only the charred skeleton of the Lamborghini, overturned on the roadside. The intense flames had spread to nearby vegetation, making access difficult. Witnesses described the accident as “a fireball” erupting in the darkness. “I heard a loud bang, then saw a blinding light. By the time I got there, the car was completely burned, unrecognizable,” a passerby told El Mundo. Both Jota and Andre were confirmed dead at the scene.

Zamora’s traffic police quickly sealed off the area for investigation. The initial report from Guardia Civil stated that the car suffered a tire blowout while overtaking, causing it to veer off and crash into the roadside. Skid marks and a broken guardrail were clear evidence of the violent impact. However, what puzzled investigators was how a modern supercar like the Lamborghini Huracan, regularly maintained by a professional athlete like Jota, could suffer such a catastrophic failure from a mere tire blowout.

A Surprising Discovery

In the days following the accident, Zamora’s Civil Police investigation team, alongside forensic experts, continued to examine the scene. A startling discovery shifted the course of the investigation. Among the scattered debris, investigators found a small metal fragment, about 15 cm long, showing signs of wear and deformation. After laboratory analysis, the fragment was identified as part of the front suspension system of the Lamborghini. Crucially, it showed severe corrosion, indicating it had been damaged long before the accident.

“We found that this component may have been defective from the manufacturer or damaged during use without being detected,” said Javier Morales, the lead investigator, in an interview with Marca. “This corrosion could have weakened the suspension system, causing the car to lose stability at high speeds, especially under the stress of a tire blowout during overtaking.” This finding suggests that the tire blowout was not the sole cause but rather the “final straw” in a chain of events stemming from a technical flaw in the car.

To verify this, police requested the car’s maintenance records. The results showed that the Lamborghini was regularly serviced at a high-end garage in Porto, but the most recent inspection, three months before the accident, reported no issues with the suspension. This raised questions about the quality of the inspection or the possibility of a hidden manufacturing defect that even technicians missed.

Unanswered Questions

This new evidence opened an entirely different line of inquiry. If the suspension system’s technical failure was the primary cause, responsibility could lie with Lamborghini or the maintenance provider. Jota’s family, particularly his wife, Rute Cardoso, is reportedly considering legal action to uncover the truth. “We didn’t just lose a husband and father; we lost faith in what we thought was safe,” a source close to the family told Daily Mail.

However, many questions remain unanswered. Why was such a serious defect not detected during routine maintenance? Did Jota or Andre, who was driving at the time, notice any unusual signs from the car before the tragedy? And, more importantly, did other factors, such as road conditions or the car’s speed, contribute to the accident?

The A-52 highway, where the accident occurred, is a major route connecting northern Portugal to the ports of Santander and Bilbao. It has a history of serious accidents due to high-speed stretches and heavy traffic. A report from EFE noted that, just eight days before Jota’s accident, another collision at the same location left a 60-year-old woman seriously injured. This raised concerns about the road’s safety, though police have found no evidence that road conditions directly caused Jota’s accident.

Lingering Pain

The accident not only claimed the lives of the two brothers but also left an indelible scar on their family and fans. Rute Cardoso, widowed just 10 days after her wedding, was described as “shattered” as she left the Zamora morgue. Images of her clinging to relatives, her eyes vacant, broke hearts worldwide. Jota’s three young children—Denis, Duarte, and a newborn daughter—now face a future without their father.

The global football community was plunged into grief. Liverpool flew its flags at half-mast at Anfield, while fans laid flowers and No. 20 jerseys in tribute to Jota. The Portuguese Football Federation requested UEFA to hold a minute’s silence before Portugal’s women’s team match at the 2025 UEFA Women’s Championship. Captain Cristiano Ronaldo wrote on social media: “Diogo, you were a warrior on the pitch and a brother off it. I’ll miss you forever.”

The Pursuit of Justice

The investigation is ongoing, with police expecting to release a full report in the coming weeks, hoping to clarify the role of the technical failure in the accident. Whatever the outcome, the loss of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva has left an irreplaceable void in the hearts of fans and family.

The corroded suspension component is more than just a piece of metal—it’s the key to answering the question: What really happened on the A-52 that fateful night? For Rute and those who loved Jota, the truth may not bring them back, but it’s a step toward justice and preventing future tragedies.