Liverpool fans are calling for the club to retire Diogo Jota’s No20 jersey as a mark of respect after his tragic death.
The football world is in a state of mourning after the Reds and Portugal striker, 28, along with his brother Andre Silva, 25, died in a car crash in Spain in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The Spanish authorities said the siblings were found dead after their car went off a road near the city of Zamora.
Police suspect the crash was caused by a tyre blowout. Liverpool said the club had been left ‘devastated’ by the news, calling it an ‘unimaginable loss’.
Mail Sport has taken a look at previous instances where clubs across world football have retired the shirt number of a player.
Liverpool fans are calling for the club to retire Diogo Jota’s No20 shirt after he passed away
The football world is in a state of mourning after the Reds and Portugal forward’s death
Jota was synonymous with the No 20 shirt during his time as a Liverpool player
1. Jude Bellingham (Birmingham City – No 22)
Birmingham City decided to retire the No 22 shirt of outgoing teenager Jude Bellingham in July 2020.
Bellingham’s final appearance for his boyhood club, a 3-1 defeat to Derby, came just days after he finalised a move to Borussia Dortmund in a deal which saw him become the most expensive 17-year-old in football history.
The Englishman has since gone on to become a mega star with Real Madrid, and was voted La Liga’s Player of the Season in his first year in Spain.
Jude Bellingham’s No 22 shirt was retired when he left Birmingham City as a teenager
2. Diego Maradona (Napoli – No 10)
One of the world’s best players, Diego Maradona certainly made his mark.
His Hand of God goal against England in the 1986 World Cup quarter-finals was an infamous moment, but the Argentine was widely lauded.
He delivered two Serie A titles for Napoli during a glittering seven-year career in Naples, before the Italian side officially retired his No 10 jersey in 2000.
Argentina also tried to retire his No 10 international shirt in time for the 2002 World Cup, but had their request rejected by FIFA.
On 4 December 2020, nine days after Maradona’s death, Napoli’s home stadium was renamed Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
In 2000 Napoli officially retired the No 10 shirt in honour of the legendary Diego Maradona
Maradona delivered two Serie A titles for Napoli during a glittering seven-year career in Naples
3. Bobby Moore (West Ham – No 6)
West Ham and England legend Bobby Moore is often regarded as the best defender to come from England.
So fittingly, in 2008, on the 50th anniversary of his debut for the club, the Hammers decided to retire Moore’s No6 shirt.
Moore captained West Ham and also England, where he lifted the country’s only World Cup to date.
He has since been honoured further by the Hammers with a statue outside the London Stadium.
West Ham and England legend Bobby Moore (L) is widely seen as his country’s best ever defender
In 2008, on the 50th anniversary of his debut for the club, West Ham retired Moore’s No 6 shirt
4. Marc-Vivien Foe (Manchester City – No 23)
In 2003, Cameroon legend Marc-Vivien Foe was playing for his country against Colombia in the Confederations Cup when he collapsed in the centre circle.
Despite the desperate attempts of medics to revive him, he died of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at hospital.
Manchester City, where he had been on loan at, duly retired his No 23 jersey.
Manchester City retired Marc-Vivien Foe’s No 23 jersey after he passed away in 2003
5. Emiliano Sala (Nantes – No 9)
The shocking death of Emiliano Sala resulted in an inquest.
The 28-year-old’s body had been found in the wreckage of the plane that crashed into the English Channel as he flew to Cardiff City following his £15million transfer in 2019.
The football world grieved, while his former club Nantes retired his No 9 jersey, after 133 games for the Ligue 1 club brought 48 goals.
Emiliano Sala’s former club Nantes chose to retire his No 9 jersey after he died aged 28
6. George Baldock (Panathinaikos – No 32)
The England-born Greece international George Baldock was found dead in the swimming pool of his house in Glyfada, southern Athens in October last year.
Initial coroner’s findings suggested Baldock drowned and police ruled out any criminal activity.
Baldock had joined Greek side Panathinaikos in the summer after seven years at the Blades.
The Greek club retired his No 32 shirt.
Greek club Panathinaikos retired George Baldock’s No 32 shirt after his death last year
7. Peter Whittingham (Cardiff – No 7)
Cardiff retired the No 7 shirt in honour of their late midfielder Peter Whittingham.
Whittingham died in March 2020 at the age of 35 after suffering a traumatic head injury in Barry.
The former England Under-21 international spent 10 years at Cardiff after signing from Aston Villa, scoring 98 goals in 459 appearances.
Cardiff retired the No 7 shirt in honour of their late star Peter Whittingham
8. Ray Jones (QPR – No 31)
The 18-year-old Queens Park Rangers striker Ray Jones died in August 2007 after he drove head-on into a bus in London.
His two passengers in the car also passed away.
QPR decided to retire the No 31 shirt in memory of Ray Jones, who passed away in 2007
QPR players wear Jones’ name on the back of their shirts ahead of a game v Southampton
As a mark of respect, QPR postponed their upcoming game with Burnley, who replaced the match with an open training session with proceeds going to the charity of QPR’s choice.
QPR also decided to retire the No 31 shirt in memory of Jones.
