Liverpool legend was struck by double tragedy on the day of Diogo Jota's death

Irish Daily Mirror

14-07-2025

John Aldridge has revealed that he lost a close friend on the same day that news of Liverpool striker Diogo Jota's death emerged.
The former Anfield and Ireland striker says he is only coming to terms now with the tragedy earlier this month that took the lives of Jota and his brother André Silva.
And he has urged Arne Slot's side to honour their late teammate by winning back-to-back Premier League titles.
Jota was killed in a car crash in Spain on July 3 and Aldridge told MirrorSport: 'A friend of mine, the same day, died outside the gym.
'He was only in his 60s, same as me, so I couldn't… I was just in shock for a few days, to be honest.
'You didn't really realise the enormity of the impact that it had on the Liverpool family, and how well liked (Jota) was.
'It was such a tragic, tragic story as well; he just got married, his brother too. The whole story is so tragic and horrible.'
Aldridge paid tribute to Liverpool fans for their collective outpouring of grief and love in the wake of Jota's passing.
'As a Liverpool supporter, it hit me really hard. It hit loads of supporters hard, because they see this lad as a hero, as a family member in many respects, without being corny.
'It's a massive impact, it really is a huge impact. There is nothing you can say that is going to bring him back, but the respect that the fans have shown by going to Anfield, like a sanctuary, and doing what we did after Hillsborough, shows the respect and what he meant, and what Liverpool means to everyone.
'To be quite honest, I'm only really coming to terms with it this week, over the last couple of days.
'Your heart goes out to everyone who knew him, his family and friends. You don't know what to say.
'From a personal perspective, and from the fans, you couldn't get any better respect than what Liverpool fans have shown him and his family, to try and help them through this.'
Emotional tributes were paid to Jota before and after last weekend's pre-season friendly against Preston at Deepdale.
Claudia Rose Maguire, the wife of Cork City striker Sean Maguire, sang the famous Anfield anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone', while Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the visiting fans.
Images of Diogo and André Silva were shown on the big screen inside the ground, and Darwin Nunez marked his goal with a couple of his late teammate's trademark celebrations.
Playing football, Aldridge said, might have been the last thing on the minds of Liverpool's stars over the past fortnight.
However, he recalled how he rediscovered his love for the game after the Hillsborough tragedy.
'It was very classy the way they did it,' he said of the Preston friendly. 'You have got to try and use it as motivation now, to try and win the league for him.
'After Hillsborough, I didn't want to play, and I missed the Spain game when we won 1-0 (in the Italia '90 qualifiers).
'But the families (of the Hillsborough victims) told me, that's not what our dad or kids wanted, they loved watching you play, so please play on.
'It sort of resonated with me and gave me a lift to try and get playing again.
'That's what maybe the manager and staff and psychologists around the club have got to do with the players now, because it's a massive hit on them, a huge hit.
'But you have got to play on. It's what Diogo would have wanted, what his family want. Go and represent the club and do it for him, try and do it for him.'
# John Aldridge was speaking to MirrorSport on behalf of BetBrain.