Diogo Jota’s funeral will take place on Saturday morning and Liverpool’s stars arrived in Gondomar on Friday evening to pay tribute to their late team-mate and his brother, Andrea Silva

Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson and Curtis Jones were among a Liverpool contingent to pay their respects to team-mate Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, as they attended his wake in Portugal on Friday night. Jota and his younger sibling passed away in a car crash on Thursday.

A delegation of Reds stars were applauded through the streets of Gondomar as they made their way to visit the Chapel of the Resurrection where their late team-mate lay. It was a sombre procession as the Liverpool stars walked with their heads bowed to the resting place of Jota and his brother.

Captain Van Dijk led a group that included Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Federico Chiesa and Arne Slot. Ex-Liverpool players in Caoimhin Kelleher, Jordan Henderson and James Milner were also present on Friday evening, while Darwin Nunez attended earlier in the day.

The squad members arrived with the funerals of Jota and his sibling to take place at 10am on Saturday morning in Gondomar, a half-hour drive inland from Porto. Priest Jose Manuel Macedo is set to oversee the funeral at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar catholic church and Portugal’s president Marcelo de Sousa has confirmed he will be among those in attendance.

A private wake was attended by Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, who he married last month, and the player’s family in addition to Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, FC Porto President Andre Villas-Boas and Jota’s long-time agent Jorge Mendes. Friday saw hundreds of mourners line the streets of Gondomar to pay tribute.

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Van Dijk vowed to support Jota’s family as he expressed his feelings following Jota’s passing. Posting on Instagram, Van Dijk wrote: “Man, I can’t believe it, I don’t wanna believe it. Absolutely devastated and in total disbelief. What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man.

“You meant so much to all of us and you always will! For your family to lose two sons, a husband and a father is just unimaginable. So cruel and unfair. My heart is breaking for all of your beautiful family, for Rute and for your kids.

“I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family. A champion forever, number 20 forever. It’s been a privilege to have stood by your side on the pitch, and to have been your friend off it.

Virgil van Dijk led Liverpool’s players in Gondomar

“We will miss you beyond words and never forget you. Your legacy will live on, we will make sure of it! Rest in perfect peace Diogo & Andre.”

Robertson also produced a powerful tribute to ‘his mate’. The defender said: “The ones I’m thinking about most right now are the family. Their loss is too much to bear. I’m so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls – Diogo and Andre.

“For the team and the Club, we’ll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now.

Darwin Nunez attended the public wake held for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva at the Capela da Ressurreicao(Image: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

“It’s the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I’d try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.

“We’d watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight – one of the best we had. The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family. “I can’t believe we’re saying goodbye. It’s too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better. Love you, Diogo.”

People queuing outside the funeral chapel for the wake(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot also offered some words. The Dutchman said: “Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us.

“I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it. Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals. The essence of what a Liverpool player should be.”