The football world has been united in mourning for the late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his younger brother Andre Silva, after the pair tragically passed away last week.
Jota and his brother died when when their car crashed in the early hours last Thursday morning in northern Spain.
The accident came just 11 days after Jota had married childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, also 28, who is the mother of his two sons Dinis, four, and Duarte, two as well as his baby daughter Mafalda, who is just eight months old.
An outpouring of emotion has followed in the days since the tragic events, with a joint funeral held last Saturday in their hometown of Gondomar, located near Porto.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot and members of the first team squad were in attendance at the funeral to pay their respects, joining members of the brother’s family and friends.
Key figures from the Premier League champions’ hierarchy, international team-mates and football greats from Portugal’s past also attended to honour Jota and Andre Silva.
The football world has been left reeling in the aftermath of the extremely popular Jota’s death
Diogo Jota had married his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children, less than a fortnight before his death. Here they are pictured on their wedding day
The couple with their three children at Anfield in May after Liverpool won the Premier League
Tributes have been paid to Jota and his brother Andre Silva from across the football world
Messages and floral tributes have been left outside Anfield following Jota’s tragic death
Tributes have continued in the days since with Slot, his wife Mirjam and Reds defender Andy Robertson laying their own tributes outside Anfield, where thousands of Liverpool fans have paid homage in the days since.
Jota will be forever loved by Liverpool fans for his contribution during his five years on Merseyside. He made 182 appearances for the Reds and netted 65 times, while he provided 26 assists.
He was part of the Liverpool squad that won the Premier League title last season and previously won the FA Cup and two League Cups.
Jota’s impact was also felt by those off the field, with fans and players recalling his acts of kindness in the days since his death.
Luis Diaz has been among those to speak in glowing terms about his late team-mate.
‘It’s very difficult to receive news like this, it’s very sad,’ he told WinSportsTV earlier this week.
‘No one is prepared for this, he was a key companion when I arrived in Liverpool because his family welcomed me and we formed a great friendship. We had a healthy rivalry and it was important.’
Diaz also took time to look back on the support that Jota provided him when the Colombian’s father Luis Manuel was kidnapped in their hometown of Barrancas in October 2023.
It was Jota’s idea to hold up Luis Diaz’s shirt in October 2023 after the Colombian’s father, Luis Manuel, had been kidnapped in their hometown of Barrancas
Diaz told WinSportsTV he would always remember Jota’s gesture to him and his family
Jota’s generosity to Diaz began before the Colombian joined Liverpool, after he gave up thousands when allowing the winger to move out of the house he rented from him early
Jota had the idea to hold up a ‘Diaz 7’ jersey in a show of their support to their team-mate and his family when Liverpool went 1-0 up. Fittingly, Jota was the man to score the goal against Nottingham Forest, with the gesture one that the Colombian will always remember.
‘He made a very nice gesture towards me, which I will never forget,’ Diaz said. ‘May he rest in peace, I have a great friend in my heart, who will always be remembered by his team.
‘I want to send a lot of strength to his family, his wife, his children, because the truth is that they are suffering a lot with this.
‘(It hurts) a lot, a lot. It was incredible when I woke up and saw the news. The truth is I broke down in tears. It is a very, very, very big pain.’
While the gesture is the one fans will most associate with Jota and Diaz, he has already shown kindness to the Colombian even before he arrived at Liverpool in January 2022 from Porto.
Diaz had been renting Jota’s house at the time in Porto, with the forward having enjoyed a loan spell himself at the club during the 2016-17 season.
Jota had revealed in an interview with FourFourTwo in 2023 that he had allowed Diaz out of tenancy contract early after he joined Liverpool, a decision which would have have cost him thousands of pounds.
‘He rented the house I’d lived in when I played for Porto,’ Jota had said. ‘He was paying me rent, then he ended up playing with me, and I often still bring that up during our conversations.
‘He arrived in January and had a contract with me until July, but because he was going to be my team-mate, I let him out of the contract.’
Steven Davies, a big Liverpool fan, shared a video Diogo Jota sent to his son, Liam
The Reds boss and his wife shared a touching embrace as they added to the tributes to the brothers
Liverpool manager Arne Slot and his wife Mirjam have paid their respects to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre after their tragic death
Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson also laid flowers outside Anfield on Tuesday afternoon
The Scotland captain penned his emotional message to his friend and former team-mate, ‘MacJota’
Mail Sport’s Lewis Steele recalled in his own tribute to Jota that the Liverpool star was a ‘genuine, down-to-earth chap’ and showed no signs of ego despite his success with both club and country.
He revealed Jota had provided a glowing reference to a former Wolves staff member – having made his name at the Midlands club – when they were being interviewed for a role in Liverpool’s media team late last year. The reference helped get his old colleague the job.
Amid the tributes in recent days, one Liverpool fan, Steven Davies, had revealed Jota had got in touch after his own son Liam was going through a difficult time.
Jota took the time to send Liam a video message of support, saying: ‘Hello Liam, I believe that you are not having an easy time right now, so I just wanted to get in touch to say you have the support of everyone at Liverpool, just as you have always supported us.
‘I’m no expert but whenever I’m struggling I always make sure I listen to the doctors and do exactly what they tell me to do, all the things they say, like eating and drinking the right stuff make a big difference for me whenever I’m struggling.
‘Hopefully it will be the same for you. Take care of yourself and hopefully we will see you back in Anfield before too long.’
After the shock news of Jota’s passing emerged, Steven shared the old clip on social media to highlight the gesture.
On X, he wrote: ‘4 years ago when my lad was at his lowest, Diogo took the time to record this for him and it helped more than he will ever know.
‘It was a small task, but it meant to so much and I would have loved to have thanked for him personally for it. Thank you Diogo.’
Jota’s success on the pitch had included Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup glory with Liverpool, along with two UEFA Nations League triumphs with Portugal.
The Premier League and second Nations League success came in the past two months, with his wedding to childhood sweetheart Rute part of one of the happiest periods of his life.
Locals in his hometown of Gondomar, speaking last week, noted that Jota’s achievements on the pitch had not changed his character. Jota was seen to have remained a grounded and kind character back home.
‘The family came from very humble beginnings,’ one local Ana, told the Guardian last week. ‘Diogo was always such a kind kid – the ball never left his feet.
‘He was always trying to help. He sent boots to my brother. If you needed something, it might take some time but he always came through.’
Locals paid their respects and spoke of Jota and Andre Silva’s kindness in tributes following their funeral last week
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana looked at tributes to Jota outside Anfield on Thursday
Thousands of tributes have been left by fans in the wake of the tragedy earlier this month
A memorial wall with the message ‘Forever 20’ has been created neat Anfield
Fans have been leaving a series of messages in honour of Jota and his younger brother
Another local Cosme Silva, who coached Jota’s father, said the humility shown by Jota and his brother had been passed down through the family.
‘They’re such good people. Always generous, always willing to help,’ he said. ‘He stayed grounded. The fame never went to his head.’
Given Jota’s role in Liverpool and Portugal’s success, as well as stories revealing further insight into his character, formal and long-lasting tributes appear a certainty.
Liverpool fans have already established a mural near Anfield, with fans leaving their own messages to a player who will be ‘forever 20’.
On Friday, it was announced that Liverpool are permanently retiring the Number 20 jersey from each of their club’s teams to honour Jota’s memory.
It is the first time in their history they have made such a decision and it is a reflection of the measure in which he was held.
There was talk immediately after the fatal accident that Liverpool would retire the No 20 but they only took this step after consultation with his widow and his family.
It is widely acknowledged that this is a unique honour for a unique player, simply because Liverpool have extended the retirement to all levels: from the men’s first team, to the women’s side and all male and female Academy teams
The Reds will also honour Jota when they take to the pitch for the first time since his death in a pre-season friendly against Preston on Sunday.
The friendly, which will be played at Deepdale rather than Anfield, will begin after a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, while representatives from Preston will lay a wreath in front of the away stand.
The fans and the players – who will play in black armbands – will then observe a minute’s silence in honour of Jota and Silva, while ‘digital tributes’ will play on screens around the pitch.
The hosts have also created a ‘commemorative edition of the matchday programme’ which is set to feature tributes to both of the men.
Fans will be able to watch the tributes and the match itself on ITV when coverage begins at 2.40pm.
