Reaction to Diogo Jota's death
"Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota." -- club statement
"The news of the death of Diogo Jota, an athlete who greatly honoured Portugal's name, and his brother is unexpected and tragic." -- Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro
"We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and Andre Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything to honor their legacy daily." -- Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), Diogo Jota won 49 senior caps and won the Nations League title twice, most recently last month.
"They say we only lose people when we forget them. I will never forget you!" -- Diogo Jota's former Wolves team-mate Ruben Neves on Instagram.
"We are heartbroken. Diogo was adored by our fans, loved by his teammates and cherished by everyone who worked with him during his time at Wolves. The memories he created will never be forgotten. You will be truly missed, and always remembered." -- Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers where Diogo Jota played from 2017-2020.
"Heartbreaking news. The whole house (of Commons) is heartbroken by this news and I wanted to send our sympathies to his friend and family on behalf of the whole house." -- British Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy.
"Everyone at the Premier League is shocked and devastated to learn of the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre. Football has lost a champion who will be forever missed. We will continue to support our friends and colleagues at the club." -- English Premier League.
"Porto are in mourning. It is with shock and deep sorrow that we send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva. Rest in peace." -- Porto statement, Diogo Jota spent a season there on loan (2016/17) and Andre was a youth player.
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Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
Liverpool FC to 'immortalise' their number 20 after Diogo Jota's death
Following the news of Portugal and Liverpool FC winger Diogo Jota's tragic passing in a car accident overnight on Thursday, the initial shock was followed by increasing demands from the fans to retire his number 20 jersey amid mourning over his loss. Now, Liverpool FC is saying that their number 20 will be "rightly immortalised" for the role he played at the club since his arrival in 2020. "The No.20 will be rightly immortalised for his contributions as part of Liverpool's 2024-25 title-winners – the club's 20th – with his trademark shimmy and strike in front of the Kop to seal victory in April's Merseyside derby a poignant last goal of his life," the club said in an homage on its website on Thursday evening. The diminutive Portuguese ace has died in a crash on the Spanish A-52 highway near Sanabria in the province of Zamora, after a tyre on his Lamborghini Urus SUV blew out while overtaking another vehicle. Jota's vehicle veered off the road and caught on fire, according to authorities and media reports. The Portuguese international's brother André Silva — himself a footballer who played for Liga Portugal 2 side Penafiel — was with Jota in the Lamborghini and also died at the scene, according to authorities. The latest reports said that the two brothers were on their way to Santander to catch a ferry to England, where Jota was supposed to rejoin his team for preseason training, after he was advised not to travel by plane following lung surgery. 'Wore number 20, won us number 20' Liverpool FC issued a brief statement after the news of Jota's death became public, saying they were "devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota." "Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss." "We will continue to provide them with our full support," the statement concluded. Meanwhile, Liverpool fans have gathered outside the club's Anfield stadium to lay flowers and scarves in memory of Jota. Supporters have further taken to social media to demand that Liverpool FC retire his number 20 shirt, in what they believe would be a symbolic gesture of ultimate significance given his importance to the club. "Football is the most unimportant thing right now, but I hope Liverpool retire number 20," user Maxi said on X. "It would feel wrong for most supporters seeing anyone else wear it after the tragic loss of Diogo Jota - but mainly as a sign of respect and gratitude for everything he did and who he was." "Diogo Jota joined Liverpool in 2020. He wore the number 20 shirt," another fan, Micky Jnr, said on the same platform. "And in the season Liverpool won their 20th league title, we lose him." "Maybe… just maybe… the club should retire that number in his honour. Forever 20." Since arriving from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020, Diogo Jota scored 182 goals and added 65 further assists for Liverpool, mostly deployed on the left wing or as a false nine. The English Premier League giant, which won its 20th title this year, has not retired any shirt numbers in its 133-year history. Liverpool FC manager Arne Slot wrote a poignant letter on Thursday, saying, "For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute." "My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss," Slot said. "My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone. The players, the staff, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club are all with you and from what I have seen today, the same can be said of the wider family of football." "Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special," Slot pointed out in a written statement published on the team's website. Jota's former manager at Liverpool, German coach Jürgen Klopp, took to Instagram to express his disbelief at the news of Jota's passing. "This is a moment where I struggle," Klopp said. "There must be a bigger purpose (...) But I can't see it." "I'm heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother André." "Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father," Klopp recalled. "We will miss you so much." Diogo Jota is survived by his long-time partner Rute Cardoso, whom he married less than two weeks ago on 22 June, and their three children.
Euronews
8 hours ago
- Euronews
Portugal and Liverpool FC winger Diogo Jota dies in car crash in Spain
Portugal and Liverpool FC footballer Diogo Jota died on Thursday following a road accident, the Portuguese Football Association confirmed. The 28-year-old winger was involved in an accident overnight on Thursday in the province of Zamora, when the Lamborghini he was travelling in veered off the road and caught on fire, according to authorities and media reports. The accident occurred at 00:30 on the A-52 near Sanabria in the municipality of Cernadilla. The Portuguese international's brother André Silva — also a footballer who played for Liga Portugal 2 side Penafiel — was with Diogo Jota in the vehicle and also died at the scene, according to reports. "The Portuguese Football Federation and the entire Portuguese football community are completely devastated by the deaths of Diogo Jota and André Silva, this morning in Spain," the Portuguese FA said in a statement on Thursday. "We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and André Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese Football, and we will do everything to honor their legacy daily." His club, Liverpool FC, also issued a statement on Thursday, saying they were "devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota." 'Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss." 'We will continue to provide them with our full support," the statement said. FC Porto, where he spent a year on loan during the 2016-17 season, expressed its condolences following the news of Jota's passing. "Porto Football Club is in mourning," the club said in a post on X. "It is with shock and deep regret that we send our most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who was also our athlete in the youth categories." "Rest in peace," the club concluded. Pacey winger with an eye for the goal Born Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, the native of Porto became known as Diogo Jota after choosing to wear "Diogo J" to distinguish himself from other players with similar names at his youth club Paços de Ferreira. Following a transfer to Atlético Madrid in 2016 — which involved a loan to Porto for the season — Jota's stock quickly rose due to his lightning-fast pace and clinical finishing. He arrived at Liverpool FC in 2020 after a stint at Wolverhampton Wanderers, whom he helped gain promotion to the Premier League in 2017-18. Jota registered six goals and three assists in 26 appearances in the Premier League in 2024-25 with Liverpool, celebrating the club's 20th league title in May. In addition to this year's Premier League title, Jota won one FA Cup and one EFL Cup with the Liverpool-based club. He also won two UEFA Nations League titles with the Portuguese national team, for whom he played 49 games and scored 14 goals. He was an avid gamer, known for participating in esports tournaments, and also owned an esports team, Luna Galaxy. In 2021, he briefly became world number one in the FIFA 21 football game. His triangle gesture, as well as his goal celebration in which he'd mimic sitting down with a video game controller, were both in homage to the EA Sports series. Jota married his long-time partner Rute Cardoso less than two weeks ago, on 22 June. The couple had three children. This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates.
France 24
12 hours ago
- France 24
'Difficult day' for Al Hila's Portugal pair
The Saudi club's full-back Joao Cancelo is a Portugal international and midfielder Ruben Neves was a team-mate of Jota with both the Portugal national team and at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 28-year-old Jota died alongside his younger brother Andre after their vehicle veered off a motorway in northern Spain before bursting into flames on Thursday. "We all know it's a sad day because of what happened to Diogo and Andre, unfortunately, these are things that shouldn't happen, which happened," said the Italian. "As we are all aware, we have two Portuguese players, Ruben Neves and Cancelo, who were very close to the guys. Clearly today was a difficult day for everyone. We tried to work but clearly, the atmosphere today was not the same as other days. It was a tragedy," he added. Al Hilal left-back Moteb Al Alharbi said the team had tried to be supportive to the Portuguese pair. "From the moment we woke up today we were shocked by the news. They are team-mates of his and we all felt the sadness but we were all around them. I also believe they will be ready although they have this shocking news," he said. 'They were not at their best emotionally but I believe they will be focused for the game," added Saudi winger Khalid Alghannam.
