Latest news with #ClaudiaRoseMaguire
Sky News
11-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News
Liverpool strikers copy Jota's 'crocodile celebration' after scoring in first game since his death
Liverpool players and fans have paid tribute to Dioga Jota at the Reds' first game since the Portuguese forward died in a car crash with his brother. The Merseyside club's supporters held Jota banners in the stands at the Deepdale Stadium during their side's pre-season friendly away match against Preston. There was a rendition of the club's anthem You'll Never Walk Alone which was performed by Claudia Rose Maguire - wife of former Preston player Sean Maguire - shortly before the match kicked off at 3pm. Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the visiting supporters before the game. In a reference to the late Liverpool player's shirt number, an image of Jota and Silva was displayed on the Deepdale's big screen in the 20th minute. Fans of both clubs broke into applause and a rendition of a song about Jota. Around 13 minutes later, Liverpool player Conor Bradley put his side 1-0 up before celebrating in a subdued manner with his teammates. Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez scored in the 53rd minute to make it 2-0 and marked the goal by doing Jota's trademark "crocodile celebration", where he would do a snapping motion with his arms. Nunez also sat on the grass and pretended to play a computer game - another of Jota's celebrations. Preston pulled one back in the 83rd minute before Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo made it 3-1 five minutes later. Gakpo also did Jota's famous crocodile celebration after scoring the goal. Newly-married Jota, 28, died alongside his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva, a footballer who played in Portugal's second division with Penafiel, when the Lamborghini they were travelling in crashed in Zamora in northern Spain on 3 July. At Sunday's match, Liverpool players and supporters were seen in deep reflection during a one-minute silence in memory of the brothers moments before kick off. Both teams' players wore black armbands during the match. Children were among those who paid tribute in the stands with one boy holding a banner reading: "Forever missed, forever loved, forever remembered, forever our number 20." It was one of many banners paying tribute to Jota, while some fans have been seen wearing T-shirts and scarves featuring the footballer's image. Liverpool supporters also sung the first of many renditions of a song about Jota 20 minutes before kick-off. The tributes come after Liverpool retired the number 20 shirt Jota wore at all levels of the club, including the men's and women's first teams and academy squads, in his memory. 4:01 The match programme for Sunday's game featured a black and white image on the front showing Jota holding the Premier League trophy he won with the Reds in April. Liverpool teammates joined members of Jota's family, including his wife Rute, at a huge memorial site outside Anfield on Friday. There had been questions over whether Sunday's game would go ahead as Liverpool players - several of whom attended the funeral of the two brothers in Portugal last Saturday - were given extra time before reporting for pre-season training. Mohamed Salah captained a young Liverpool side for the game, with Giorgi Mamardashvili getting the nod in goal and fellow new signings Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez among the substitutes. New £100m midfielder Florian Wirtz was not in the match day squad. Liverpool manager Arne Slot, who also visited Anfield to pay his respects last week, said in an interview on Liverpool FC's website before today's match: "We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go." He added: "In any moment we are here, we will carry him with us in our thoughts and in our hearts. To retire his shirt is the one thing we could, should and have done... "I think what I take comfort in [is that] in the last month of his life, he was a champion in everything. A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married." He added: "A champion for his country because he won the Nations League, [with] a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. "And of course, a champion for us by winning the Premier League."
Irish Daily Mirror
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish singer recalls moment she felt Diogo Jota's presence before Liverpool game
Claudia Rose Maguire has opened up about the poignant moment when he felt the presence of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva during the minute's silence held in their honour last weekend. The Irish singer, and wife of former Preston North End striker Sean Magure, also revealed how she got the call to sing You'll Never Walk Alone at a packed Deepdale ahead of the pre-season friendly. Tributes were paid to the two brothers, who passed away earlier this month in a car crash in Spain, before and during the game between Preston and Liverpool. As Maguire sang, Lilywhites captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the away fans, and a minute's silence was held ahead of kick-off. Recalling the day, Maguire told Newstalk's Lunchtime show: 'They had the Preston North End captain, he presented the Liverpool fans with a wreath in the Preston colours, just to honour them and let them know, yeah, okay, it's a pre-season friendly game, but there is a much bigger meaning behind it, and we are all treating it as a game to pay our respects to Diogo Jota and his brother as well, and all the players as well. 'For the Liverpool players, it must have been the most emotional thing for them to have to step onto the pitch for the first time knowing he is sadly not with them on the pitch. So it was a big build up before the game.' Then she revealed the moment she felt that the late Liverpool striker's presence on the pitch. 'They had the minute's silence. During the minute's silence I was being taken back to my seat,' she said. 'Obviously we stopped to pay our respects, but there was a white butterfly just flying around the pitch, near the players. I was trying to signal to the photographer, can you get that. But because it was a minute's silence, I couldn't say anything. 'But that, to me, I felt like that was their presence, to let his teammates know, I'm here and I'm with you on the pitch.' Claudia Rose Maguire (Image: Dave Howarth - CameraSport via Getty Images) Maguire added that her husband, capped 11 times for Ireland, took the call from his former club that led to her flying over from Cork to sing in front of the Preston and Liverpool fans. 'Ben Rhodes, I don't even know what his job title is because that man is absolutely amazing, he runs Preston North End, he does everyone's job, he gave Sean a call,' she said. 'We've always kept in touch, so we just thought maybe, I don't know, there was a reason for calling. We weren't thinking of anything like that. 'Then Sean hung up and said, 'I have a major thing to ask you'. I thought he was going to tell me we have to move again. I was like, 'No way, I'm sorry, the answer is no'. He was, like, 'No, it's about you'. 'He explained what the match was for and he said they want you to sing Can't Help Falling in Love With You. Even then my legs went like jelly when he said it to me. But I knew that song and because I had sung it there before, I thought, okay, of course I'm not passing up that opportunity. 'It wasn't until Friday that Ben Rhodes called me himself. We were just chatting and he said, 'You do know you are singing the two songs, don't you?'. And I was like, 'No, Sean left that little detail out, that I was singing You'll Never Walk Alone as well'. 'So, he said, 'Yeah, we want you to sing both, is that okay with you?'. I wasn't going to say no, of course, so I was like, 'Yeah, I know it so well'. 'I do know the song, but I wouldn't have known it to stand on the spot and just belt it out in front of however many fans. 'I said, 'Yeah, no problem', and I hung up the phone. Then for two days straight, You'll Never Walk Alone was played over and over. My neighbours were probably pulling their hair out of their heads, I was singing it so much. But I didn't want to mess it up.' Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
BBC News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Singing Diogo Jota tribute at Liverpool friendly was emotional'
The singer who performed the Liverpool anthem as a tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva ahead of the Reds' pre-season friendly at Preston has said it was a "very emotional" and "special" and Liverpool forward Jota and Silva, also a professional footballer, died in a car crash on 3 July in the Spanish province of Rose Maguire sang You'll Never Walk Alone before kick-off at the match, which is Liverpool's first since the two men were killed. She said she "didn't want to look at the fans" as she was performing because she "would have just burst into tears". "Hearing them sing along is something that I will remember for ever," she whose husband is former North End player Sean Maguire, also sang Preston's club anthem, Can't Help Falling In Love With You. Being asked to perform both songs "was probably the scariest phone call I've ever had", Maguire told BBC Radio Lancashire, as she had only prepared to sing PNE's anthem."Then you get told you'll be singing the biggest song ever, You'll Never Walk Alone," she said."The whole weekend in my mum and dad's house I just sang that and the neighbours must have just been pulling their ears out asking 'why is she singing this song over and over again?'."I just wanted to do it justice and have it perfectly sung."As Maguire sang a visibly emotional Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the travelling Liverpool away end, filled with flags and scarves commemorating the former Porto and Wolves attacker, loudly sang Jota's song as the players walked out before a minute's she had finished performing and looked around at the crowd and players, Maguire said she felt like she "was going to fall to the floor because of all the nerves and the relief".But "all the messages and comments I've got from fans has just been so overwhelming and I'm just so grateful for them," she added. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Liverpool players pay emotional tribute to Diogo Jota as fans left in tears
Liverpool have paid a touching tribute to Diogo Jota at their first time back on the field since his tragic death. Supporters had been asked to be in their seats by 2.45pm, but the travelling Reds filled the Bill Shankly Kop at Deepdale long before. And 10 minutes before the pre-planned tributes were officially set to get underway, they made sure to kick things off themselves with a rendition of the Portuguese's chant. 'He's a lad from Portugal, better than Figo, don't you know? Oh, his name is Diogo!' READ MORE: Small plane crashes at UK airport with 'huge fireball' seen after take off READ MORE: ''It's very, very sad what's happened, my heart goes out to Blackpool... it's a real shame' Jota's chant was always going to be ringing in ears at Deepdale. That rendition might have been the first from the entire stand, but it was not the last, writes the ECHO. Never miss a story with the MEN's daily Catch Up newsletter - get it in your inbox by signing up here Singing on loop, Liverpool's travelling support started chanting in honour of Jota again before the official tributes at 2.50pm. Claudia Rose Maguire – wife of former Preston player Sean - kicked things off with a rendition of Can't Help Falling In Love, briefly stopping the Jota chants in the process. The Liverpool supporters would join in with the line itself, 'can't help falling in love with you,' as the emotions took hold at Deepdale. The Jota chants then briefly resumed before Maguire started singing a hugely emotional rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone. Supporters were left shedding tears during the club's anthem as an emotional Preston captain Ben Whiteman then walked out with a wreath in honour of Jota, and his brother, Andre Silva, walked the length of the Deepdale pitch to lay it in front of the away supporters. The sight of that alone was greeted with thunderous applause, never mind the completion of the gesture as Whiteman bowed his head to the wreath before rejoining his team-mates at the other end coming out the Deepdale tunnel. Further applause followed once Maguire had finished the song, before Jota's chant again took over as the players walked out. With both sides then taking part in a minute's silence, Liverpool players couldn't hide their emotions, along with head coach Arne Slot, as the Reds and Preston paid tribute to the Portuguese brothers. The ECHO was in attendance at Deepdale on what was always going to be a highly emotional occasion. And it's fair to say there were goosebumps during the aforementioned tributes as the Reds were joined by the Lilywhites in honouring one of their own. There were dozens of banners in the away end in honour of the Portuguese, while Jota's chant would continue to be sung. Forever Liverpool's number 20, after the Reds announced their decision to retire his shirt number on Friday, he will never be forgotten. This was a fitting and moving first public way to honour Jota and Silva. But it will not be the last.
Evening Standard
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Preston 1-3 Liverpool: Emotional tributes to Diogo Jota as Reds begin pre-season with a win
There was not a dry eye in the ground, nor an arm without goosebumps, as Claudia Rose Maguire serenaded the 22,189 in attendance with an emotional rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' ahead of kick-off - a tear-jerker at the best of times, but even more so given the circumstances of the day.
