Diogo Jota and André Silva’s funeral held in Portugal

Footballers Diogo Jota and André Silva have been honoured by their family, friends and teammates at a joint funeral in Portugal.

Jota, 28, was laid to rest alongside his brother, Silva, 25, after they died in a car crash on Thursday.

Hundreds of locals and supporters gathered at the Igreja Matriz in Gondomar, where the brothers are from, on Saturday.

Players from Liverpool FC, who only three months ago were celebrating their Premier League win, arrived at the funeral together.

Watching them walk in line with each other, almost as they do when walking onto the pitch, was an emotional experience.

There was a strong feeling of community, but also a shared sombreness.

Many were visibly upset, with supporters on the other side of the barrier applauding the players. One woman in the crowd shouted towards them as they walked in: “Força! ” – strength.

Family and close friends walked into the church in complete silence, many of them with their heads bowed down as the church bell rung.

One person in the procession held up a sign with Silva’s photograph, which read: “Para sempre um de nós. ” (Forever one of us. )

So much was the brothers’ impact on football and their local community that some of the guests had to watch the ceremony from outside of the church, often hugging and comforting one another.

Locals and football fans in the crowd watched silently for most of the service, which went on for about an hour.

One of these fans was Antônio Moreira, who set off early in the morning to be one of the first outside the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar where the funeral took place.

“I know I won’t be able to go inside, but I wanted to pay my respects,” he told me from the barrier outside the church.

Antônio later showed me his phone case – a little old, he said – with the emblem of FC Porto.

“They were good people, from a humble family, people like us. “

This has hit him especially hard, he said, as 40 years ago his family went through a similar tragedy. His aunt, uncle and young cousin died in a car accident three days before Christmas, leaving his other cousin behind.

Jota and Silva may not have been his direct family, he said, but their deaths felt personal.

Jota’s journey as a player inspired many people here in Gondomar, football fan Fábio Silva told me.

He has kept up with the brothers since they started in the local clubs – and said he had to be here for their final journey.

“Despite the impact they had on football, and even financially, they never let it show,” he told me, adding the family are well-loved in the town.

“The community is sad, devastated,” he said.

Avid football fans Fábio and Rafaela travelled from the nearby town Lordelo to honour Jota and Silva.

Wearing Jota’s shirt, Fábio said it was important to him to be here “for Jota’s final day”. Both said it meant a lot to the community that so many people showed up to pay their respects.

They watched the ceremony from outside the church, like hundreds of other fans – which Fábio said was hard. Nodding, Rafaela agreed, but said it was also beautiful.

“This is an example that you need to live life to the max,” Rafaela said, “because you never know when will be your last day. “