Diogo Jota was 'not partying' before tragic death as physio lifts lid on final hours

Diogo Jota's physio has paid tribute to the Liverpool star after his tragic death and insisted he was not "partying at all" before his fatal crash. Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed in a car crash on Thursday morning.

The pair were driving in northern Spain when a tyre on their Lamborghini blew out while attempting to overtake another vehicle and crashed. And Miguel Goncalves, who saw Jota just five hours before the accident, has described the footballer as an "unparalleled professional".

Jota was suffering from pneumothorax - or collapsed lung - in the weeks before the crash but delayed having surgery so he could feature for Portugal as they beat Spain on penalties in the Nations League final last month.

Jota and his brother were travelling to Santander at the time of the accident to catch a ferry back to England, with the forward warned against flying due to his health. "I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8:30 p.m," Goncalves told Portuguese outlet Record.

"His brother was a great companion and decided to go with him, to accompany him on the trip, and that way they would also spend more time together. They were going to travel at night because it was cooler, but they weren’t going direct.

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"He told me that the journey would take about eight hours, but that they would stop at a hotel in the Burgos area to rest. Diogo was very aware of his professionalism. They were only supposed to arrive in Santander today, catch the boat and then go to England.

"The family would arrive later by plane, organize their lives over the weekend and then, on Monday, they had a medical appointment scheduled in Liverpool to assess the situation.

"I've read some things on the internet that are regrettable, and I've even heard some in the media. To be clear, Diogo and Andre weren't partying at all, they weren't in the so-called 'good mood' life, they had nothing that deserved any repair. Nothing."

Goncalves works at Hospital São João and was helping Jota with his recovery from surgery. "I started working with him last Saturday and I was with him every day until this Wednesday. I said goodbye to him at dinner time," Goncalves added.

"He made an extraordinary recovery, he was undoubtedly an unparalleled professional. He strictly followed what I told him, as you could see in the way he was recovering.

"The base of his right lung had collapsed a little, but with the post-surgery physiotherapy he was practically flawless. When I left him yesterday he was no longer in pain and was going to return to Liverpool.

"He was excited, confident in his recovery and enthusiastic about the next season. He told me that he would not go on the pre-season tour that Liverpool is going to Japan to strengthen his recovery, he believed he was going to have a great season."

Liverpool manager Arne Slot also described Jota as a "loved one to all" in a heartbreaking tribute. "What to say? What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words but I know I do not," Slot said.

"All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about. My first thoughts are not those of a football manager.

"They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss. My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone.

"The players, the staff, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club are all with you and from what I have seen today, the same can be said of the wider family of football. This is not solely a response to tragedy.

"It is also a reaction to the goodness of the people involved and the respect that so many have for the boys as individuals and for the family as a whole. For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute.

"Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special. I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it."