In the wake of Diogo Jota’s tragic passing, the football world is once again forced to confront its most painful reality: that even in the peak of youth and fame, life can be tragically short.

The forward, 28, alongside his 25-year-old brother, Andre Silva, both lost their lives around 12:35 am on Thursday, July 3, 2025, when the Lamborghini they were in spun off the road and caught fire, setting them and surrounding vegetation ablaze.

As tributes pour in for the Liverpool and Portugal star, who recently got married to his long-term partner, with whom he had three children, we look back on a sobering list of other footballers who died in their prime.

These were players at the height of their careers; fit, in form, and full of promise, but their lives were cut short by sudden illness, fatal accidents, or tragedies that shocked the sport to its core.

10 Footballers Who Died in Their Prime

1. Samuel Okwaraji in August 1989

That hits Nigeria to the core. During a 1990 World Cup qualifier with Angola in August 1989, Samuel Okwaraji dropped dead on the field in Lagos from congestive heart failure.

25 at the time, the Midfielder, renowned for his patriotism, was playing his trade with Belgian side K. Berchem Sport when he headed home for international duty as Nigeria resumed their quest to reach Italy.

Samuel Okwaraji collapsed in the 77th minute. Teammates and medics rushed to his aid in attempts to resuscitate him, but he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards, just after he was taken off the pitch for treatment.

An autopsy revealed that the former Stuttgart man suffered congestive heart failure due to an enlarged heart and hypertension, a condition that went undetected until it was tragically too late.

2. Marc‑Vivien Foé in June 2003

A midfield powerhouse for Cameroon, West Ham United, Lyon, and Manchester City, Marc‑Vivien Foé met his end on the 26th of June in 2003, during a FIFA Confederations Cup clash with Colombia in Stade de Gerland, Lyon.

In the 72nd minute, with no player around him, he suddenly collapsed near the centre circle, and was immediately attended to by medics, and attempts were made to resuscitate him on the pitch.

28 at the time, Foe was stretchered off and continued to receive treatment for over 45 minutes. Despite all the efforts, Foé was pronounced dead.

The official autopsy revealed he had suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary heart condition that can remain undetected and lead to cardiac arrest, especially under physical stress.

3. Miklós Fehér in January 2004

Miklos Feher was just 24 when he passed away on the 25th of January in 2004, during a league meeting between his club, Benfica, and Vitoria Guimarães, becoming one of the footballers who died in their prime.

Fehér, not in the starting XI, came on as a substitute in the second half and made an immediate impact, assisting fellow substitute, Fernando Aguiar, for the only goal of the match in the closing stages of the match.

As the game approached its conclusion, the referee awarded Benfica a throw-in. Fehér, standing near the spot, was booked for time wasting, smiled and playfully bent over, seemingly enjoying a light moment.

But suddenly, without warning, the Portuguese staggered backward, collapsed to the ground, and lost consciousness. Panic engulfed the pitch. Teammates frantically signalled for medical help as Fehér lay motionless.

Immediate attempts were made to resuscitate him, both on the field and later at the hospital, but he never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead that night.

An autopsy later revealed the cause as cardiac arrhythmia brought on by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that often goes undetected and is one of the leading causes of sudden death in athletes.

4. Antonio Puerta in August 2007

A player on the rise, Antonio Puerta was just 22 when he departed this world, and his loss remains the biggest amongst footballers who died in their prime, given the world was waiting to see what the future had in store for the youngster, who was already a superstar in Seville.

Having progressed through the Sevilla Academy, Puerto got on with the senior team right from his introduction, and in his two full seasons, played a pivotal role in back-to-back UEFA Cup triumphs in 2006 and 2007.

His tie-breaking goal against Schalke 04 in the extra time of the semi-final second leg clash in 2006 was a turning point in Sevilla's history as it sent them into their first-ever European final, and paved the way to other successes recorded in an era renowned as the most successful in the club's history.

On August 25, 2007, during a meeting with Getafe at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium in the opening game of the La Liga season, Puerta suddenly collapsed near his penalty box 35 minutes into the game.

Teammates and medical staff rushed to his aid. Though he regained consciousness and was able to walk off with assistance, tragedy had already taken its course.

In the dressing room, he suffered multiple cardiac arrests and was rushed to the intensive care unit at Virgen del Rocío Hospital. Over the next three days, he fought for his life, but ultimately passed away from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

5. Daniel Jarque in August 2009

At the time, the captain of his boyhood and only club, Espanyol, Daniel Jarque, was found dead during a preseason tour of Italy, in Coverciano, Florence.

Some sources said he was on the phone with his girlfriend when he suffered a cardiac arrest, while some others reported that the girlfriend informed his roommate, Coro, of the defender's absence.

Former teammates, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas, both paid tributes to him, and the Espanyol training ground and B-team stadium were renamed in his memory.

6. Piermario Morosini April 2012

Italian midfielder Piermario Morosini collapsed from cardiac arrest during a Serie B match in April 2012 between Livorno, whom he signed for on a six-month loan from Udinese three months earlier, against Pescara.

Despite urgent care both on the pitch and on the way to the San Spirito hospital, Morosini died en route and was confirmed upon arrival by the doctors.

Experts later revealed that the 25-year-old had a 70% chance of survival if a defibrillator had been used promptly upon the emergency doctor's arrival. But the doctors did not use it despite its availability.

The failure to act quickly led to a 2016 manslaughter conviction for the three doctors involved: Vito Molfese (sentenced to one year), Manilo Porcellini, and Ernesto Sabatini (each receiving eight months).

In addition, the court ordered a joint compensation of €150,000 to be paid by the three doctors, Pescara’s local health authority (ASL), and the football club.

Udinese legend Antonio Di Natale confirmed that he would be financially responsible for Morosini's only surviving sister, who is disabled and had no other family left.

7. Patrick Ekeng in May 2016

A promising Cameroonian international playing for Dinamo Bucharest, Ekeng collapsed in 2016 just minutes into a match. With delayed emergency response and faulty equipment, he never recovered.

The defensive midfielder did not enjoy the best of fortune as a professional. Since he left Cameroon in 2009, he played in France, Switzerland, Spain, and Romania, with his clubs struggling to maintain status in their respective top-flight leagues.

Only at his final club, Steaua Bucharest, did he finally get to feature for a top team, but his time with the Romanian giants was cut short following his death four months after the completion of the move.

During a meeting with Viitorul Constanța in May, 26-year-old Ekeng collapsed seven minutes after coming on as a second-half substitute, in a game he had told his best friend he did not want to play due to feeling fatigued.

He was confirmed dead two hours later, despite efforts to resuscitate him, with the cause of death reported to be a suspected heart attack. He went down as one of the footballers who died in their prime.

8. Davide Astori in March 2018

Fiorentina were in Udine for a scheduled clash with Udinese when team captain Davide Astori failed to join his teammates for breakfast, and concerned staff discovered him unresponsive in his hotel room.

The club announced he had died suddenly “of natural causes,” later confirmed as cardiac arrest during sleep. All games in the Serie A and Serie B were called off as the country mourned the passing of the 31-year-old.

Initial tests indicated natural causes, a bradyarrhythmia leading to cardiac arrest and pulmonary edema. However, Prosecutors opened a manslaughter investigation to rule out other causes.

Both Fiorentina and Cagliari retired their #13 shirts in his honour, and in May 2021, sports doctor Giorgio Galanti received a one-year suspended sentence for failing to detect Astori’s arrhythmia earlier.

9. Emiliano Sala in January 2019

Emiliano Sala's career was finally taking shape following his move to Nantes in 2015, which saw him put behind his disappointing and slow start.

He finished as the club's top scorer in his three full seasons, and after impressing in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign, with 13 goals and two assists in 21 games, he secured a big move to English side Cardiff City for a club record fee of £15 million.

Sala had completed every detail of the move. Contracts have been signed after a successful medical. He was invited to watch the club's next game in the stands, but chose to return to France to say goodbye to teammates and get his belongings.

A disaster struck on his return to Cardiff in a private flight on January 21st, 2019, as the Argentine's plane crashed over the English Channel. The wreckage and his body weren't found until weeks later.

Search was initially called off but later resumed after the intervention of a popular figure like Lionel Messi, and the Argentine president at the time, Mauricio Macri. When eventually found, it was only his remains and those of the pilot, which were recovered four days later.

10. Diogo Jota in July 2025

Still very fresh in memory, Diogo Jota had just helped Liverpool secure a record-equalling 20th Premier League title, scoring the first goal of the season in the competition.

During the summer, he helped Portugal to their second UEFA Nations League title early in June, and a week before the end of the month, he had his wedding with his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso.

Unfortunately, he lost his life in a car crash 10 days after the wedding. Jota died, alongside his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva, who was on the books of Portuguese second division side, Penafiel.