The football community has united in remembrance of Diogo Jota’s impact on the game since his untimely death.
Several media outlets confirmed Jota’s death on Thursday, and his brother Andre Silva tragically passed away as well.
The 28-year-old, who had only married his childhood sweetheart a few weeks before the deadly car accident in Spain, has received an overwhelming number of tributes from teammates, friends, and fans.
In addition to being the father of three children, Jota is a human being at the heart of this tragedy, not just the football player that fans have grown to love.
After experiencing an unimaginable loss, his family and friends will require time and space to grieve as they see fit.
Jota’s passing will also be felt by the larger football community, which will remember the Portuguese attacker as a highly admired figure whose exploits helped his team and nation win significant awards.
Jota wore the number 20 while he was with Liverpool, having joined from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2020.
In addition to helping Wolves stay in the top flight for two seasons before moving to Anfield, he was a member of the squad that was promoted to the Premier League in 2017–18.
In addition to being known for his extraordinary work ethic and selflessness, which made him a perfect fit for the legendary manager Jurgen Klopp, the Portuguese forward also won over supporters with his demeanor off the field.
Jota loved to play video games, and his famous proficiency with the FIFA series frequently provided amusing glimpses into his private life.
Lynch praised Jota’s character, emphasizing his warmth as the reason why so many people in the football community respected the attacker. “We got to know Diogo Jota through football, and there were a lot of things to like about him, which is why so many millions of people are currently grieving for him.
The wonderful thing about football is that it allowed us to witness not only his exceptional skills but also his character and what a wonderful person he was. Everyone is sad because, prior to all of this, he was well-liked and respected by rival fans because he played the game correctly and cheerfully.
“He had a smile on his face and was always working his socks off. People like those kinds of footballers and they like those kinds of people, and Jota was one of those people. You’ve seen so many tributes from across the football world because through football, people learned about his character and they liked it a lot.”
Jota was certainly well-liked by his teammates, and the outpouring of grief following his death shows that the football community as a whole will miss his cheerful demeanor.
In what turned out to be his final game, the Liverpool star defeated Spain in June to win the UEFA Nations League trophy. He was a member of a golden generation of Portuguese football players.
With six goals and three assists in less than 1,200 league minutes, Jota also helped lead Liverpool to the Premier League championship in 2024–25.
Since he was the first player to score under current manager Arne Slot, his goal against Ipswich Town on August 17 might turn out to be the most important of his career.
If Slot continues to have success, many think the Dutch coach could start a dynasty at Anfield, and Jota’s contributions will never be forgotten.
“From Wolves, he was widely viewed as a legend and a big part of what they achieved in those seasons when they came up and did really well in the Premier League and got into Europe,” Lynch said in an interview with Onka Sports, discussing how Jota will be remembered as an important part of the history of Wolves, Liverpool, and Portugal.
“Everything was going so perfectly for him and he deserved that joy because he worked incredibly hard to get to the level that he has. He was obviously blessed with immense talent, but it takes a lot to make the most of that and he absolutely did through hard work – everybody talked about him even before this had happened about his application, his professionalism and those aspects of his personality.
“I know retiring numbers is maybe not the right path to take because someone else could come in and do it justice but in this situation it would absolutely for me be the right thing to do. He joined in 2020, didn’t he? People talked about the parallels, he joined in 2020, he’s a big part of them winning the 20th league title.”
The forward, who played across the forward line and fought for a spot in the starting lineup alongside players like Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, scored 65 goals in 182 games for Liverpool.
Being a member of the team that won the Premier League title in 2024–25—the first league victory in front of supporters since the 1989–90 season—has already solidified Jota’s legacy at Liverpool.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Reds were unable to celebrate their victory in 2019–20 as they would have liked because no fans were present at Anfield when the trophy was presented.
Supporters will always remember Jota’s on-field exploits, and the renowned Kop will probably sing his song for years to come, immortalizing his name.
His teammates will undoubtedly be grieving as well and want to pay their respects to the attacker in their own unique ways over the coming days, weeks, and months.
Lynch clarified that Jota’s death has caused Liverpool’s preseason to be postponed, allowing players and supporters more time to grieve: “[Pre-season] has been postponed since Monday. Of course, they will eventually have to begin that. Though it doesn’t feel right to even consider or discuss the football, you must move on.
“They’re not going to be in on the Monday – a few players were scheduled to be in – but Liverpool are just trying to give the players a little bit of time to process it. That is going to be the moment it hits home for them when they’re all together. They’re all experiencing this tragedy apart from each other at the moment, with their families.
“It’s going to be a very emotional time and there’s a pre-season tour to undergo together, and then of course the season starts. They’ve got to support each other and stick together. Similarly for fans, because I know it’s hit a lot of people very hard, but that’s when the process begins – the real grieving – and that’s not going to be a linear process.”
Although Jota will be sorely missed at Anfield, supporters will undoubtedly pay tribute to the forward by singing his well-known song in the stands during the upcoming seasons.