Latest news with #JonUriarte
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Liverpool's Community Shield kits featuring classy and unseen tribute to Diogo Jota
Liverpool has unveiled its kits for the Community Shield at Wembley, featuring a special tribute to forward Diogo Jota. It will be the first competitive fixture for the Reds following the death of the 28-year-old and his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in northern Spain last month. In consultation with his family, Liverpool has also retired the number 20 shirt across all levels of the club in honor and memory of Jota. Liverpool paid tribute to the siblings ahead of its matches against Preston North End, AC Milan, and Yokohama. Upon the Reds' return to Anfield, club legend Phil Thompson and Bilbao president Jon Uriarte laid a wreath on the pitch in front of the Kop End before Monday's opening game. READ MORE: Liverpool vs Crystal Palace LIVE: Wirtz starts Community Shield, Gravenberch out, TV channel and stream READ MORE: Ryan Gravenberch absence explained as Liverpool missing 4 players vs Crystal Palace Players will honour the tribute by wearing a specially designed 'Forever 20' emblem printed on the inside of their shirts and stadium jackets, which will stay in place throughout the season. The Reds unveiled the tribute on X ahead of the game against Crystal Palace which will be the first time the emblem has been displayed on the shirts., Liverpool will debut its new Adidas away kit for the first time on Sunday. The FA's official media release describes the off-white shirt as "ecru," which will be paired with black shorts. The FA has announced tributes planned to honor the brothers, including wreaths to be placed on the pitch before Sunday's game and a period of silence in remembrance. A day earlier, a delegation from Roma featuring Claudio Ranieri and Paulo Dybala paid tribute to Jota outside Anfield, while this week, a third mural honoring the Portuguese star was unveiled in Liverpool. A special fan mosaic and a minute of silence are also scheduled for the Reds Premier League season opener against Bournemouth on Friday, August 15 as Arne Slot's side looks to defend its title. Slot said that he is "extremely proud" of Liverpool's players for their handling of the Portuguese forward's tragic death. In his programme note before the double header against Athletic Club, the Dutchman said: 'It has been a tough time for everyone connected with the club, but especially for Diogo's family, his wife, his children and friends. 'We cannot imagine the pain that they have been going through, and the club will continue to give them all the support they can going forward. We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go. "I want to mention the strength and the courage of my players here, too. They have found themselves in one of the toughest positions imaginable. "But the way they have come together and the way they have conducted themselves, on and off the pitch, is a credit to them and to this football club. We really couldn't have asked more of the boys, and I am extremely proud of them all."
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Diogo Jota: Tears shed in emotional tribute as Liverpool play first Anfield game since forward's tragic death
There were emotional scenes at Anfield as Liverpool prepared to play their first home game since the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. The Portuguese forward was killed in a car accident in Spain en route back to pre-season training at his club, and he died along with his brother Andre Silva. Liverpool paid tribute to him in their friendly match against Preston, as well as on their tour of Asia, where they faced AC Milan and Yokohama F. Marinos. On their return to Anfield, however, tears were shed as former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson and Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte laid wreaths in front of the Kop 10 minutes before the Reds kicked off their first of two friendly clashes against the Basque side. Fans watched on holding scarves, banners, and shirts aloft with a smattering of chants of Jota's name as Thompson and Uriarte lay the wreaths on the six-yard line, kissing them before setting them on the pitch. The Merseyside club's anthem 'You'll Never Walk Alone' then blared as the two teams took to the field, and there was an air of sadness in the supporters' chorus as they joined in to sing along. The tributes continued into the game, as players, staff, and fans alike all rose to their feet and applauded, with the game stopped, in the 20th minute to pay further respect to Jota, who wore the No20 shirt during his five-year spell at the club. Liverpool cruised to a comfortable win in the first match of the evening as both sides named second-choice squads. The 16-year-old starlet Rio Ngumoha inspired a fast start for the Reds, scoring with a classy solo effort with the match less than two minutes old before teeing up Darwin Nunez to add a second shortly after. Their lead was cemented as Alex Padilla knocked Ben Doak's cross into his own net with the match approaching half-time. The second half was a more lethargic affair as Athletic's heads went down, and Harvey Elliot wasted little time in finding Liverpool's fourth. There was slight consolation for the visitors, though, as striker Gorka Guruzeta capped a frustrating showing as he was well placed to head home from Luca Stephenson's miss-hit clearance. Slot plumped for a much stronger XI in the evening's encounter, naming most of what could be interpreted as his first-choice side. New arrivals Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, and Jeremie Frimpong all got a taste of the Anfield atmosphere, and all four impressed on their home debuts. Ekitike was the provider of the first goal, setting up Mohamed Salah after a byline burst and cut-back. Crafty attacking midfielder Oihan Sancet bundled home a shock equaliser for Athletic Club as the Basque side caught the Premier League champions cold with a set piece on the half-hour. Cody Gakpo restored Liverpool's advantage as he followed in Ryan Gravenberch's powerful effort from range to tap home the rebound, but he was then at fault as he put through his own net from another Bilbao corner, as Maroan Sannadi made first contact at the near post. However, the Dutchman made amends, netting his second on 70 minutes as his shot squirmed in under Unai Simon. There was still time for Salah to blaze a penalty over the top after Wataru Endo was bundled over in the box by Dani Vivian, but that did not trouble the scoreline in the end, as Slot's side held on for a second win of the afternoon.
The Australian
05-08-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Diogo Jota: Liverpool's emotional Anfield tribute to late star and brother
It marks the first match at Liverpool's home since the Portuguese forward tragically passed away in a car accident last month. Liverpool legend Phil Thompson was joined by Bilbao's club president Jon Uriarte and they laid down a wreath of flowers each just before kick-off. One wreath was for Jota and the other for his brother Andre Silva, who was in the car with him and also died at the scene. At the same time, tens of thousands of Liverpool fans in attendance chanted Jota's song. Pre-match proceedings were disrupted earlier in the day when the fire alarms went off, leading to Liverpool's famous ground being evacuated. The alarms have been since proven to be false and first went off just over an hour before the game started. A club statement read: 'Shortly before 3:50pm there was a false alarm in the Anfield Main Stand, leading to supporters in that area of the stadium to be temporarily evacuated. 'Fans are now being let back into the Main Stand and there is no expected delay to KO. 'Thank you for everyone's co-operation.' That led to everyone in the ground having to leave before coming back in to pay tribute to Jota. The club also have a special programme dedicated to Jota, which includes various pictures of him on the cover, and a caption that reads: 'Forever our number 20'. The Reds have also already announced that his number is being permanently retired by the club. And at Anfield, it was a sight to behold as the stadium was covered in thousands of Jota flags and shirts. In the programme, there is a special message from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk, which reads: 'He will always be with us. 'I always come back to the fact that we have to look after Diogo's family, his parents, and that's the main thing. 'You think about so many different things, and it's difficult to process. 'You can't imagine the pain, the feeling that they have. That's why we try to be there as much as we can, and for each other as well.' Ahead of the game, there were Jota scarves and flags everywhere, while several murals have popped up all over the city. The football world is still reeling from the tragic death of Jota and his brother Silva on July 3 in Spain. The duo were travelling to get the ferry to Merseyside when they were involved in the fatal car crash. The forward's teammates have marked a lot of pre-season by re-creating a celebration dedicated to Jota's love of FIFA and online games. In the match itself, the Reds went 2-0 up inside the opening five minutes thanks to goals from Darwin Nunez and Rio Ngumoha. They are now 4-1 up with an own goal from Alex Padilla and Harvey Elliott adding gloss to the scoreline. But the LaLiga side have pulled one back through Gorka Guruzeta. The two teams play each other in a second friendly at Anfield on Monday, which kicks off at 8pm. The Reds kick-off their Premier League title defence next Friday in the opener, live on welcome Bournemouth to Anfield on what is sure to be another emotional night. Football Just two months after Tottenham's sacking of Aussie coach Ange Postecoglou, a legend has quit the club. Plus, Liverpool's push to sign Alexander Isak escalates. Football An angry parent says junior footballers have been 'carved up and told you don't exist' amid a proposed overhaul which has left about 1000 players in jeopardy.
BBC News
04-08-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Anfield remembers Jota and Silva in Bilbao friendly
Liverpool paid tribute to Diogo Jota in their first match at Anfield since the late forward's legend Phil Thomson and Athletic president Jon Uriarte brought wreaths out on to the pitch and laid them on the edge of the six-yard box before the opening billboards around Anfield read 'Rest in Peace Diogo Jota and Andre Silva - You'll Never Walk Alone', while fans sang about supporters also held up flags and banners remembering their number 20 - a number that has been retired by the club this sets of players, coaches and fans applauded as the game was stopped in the 20th more over here
New York Times
04-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Nico Williams turns down Barcelona transfer, signs eight-year Athletic Club contract extension
Nico Williams has turned down the opportunity to join Barcelona and has renewed his contract at Athletic Club through to 2035. Athletic confirmed on Friday that the Spain international had penned a long-term renewal, which will see the €60million (£50m, $62m) release clause in his contract raised by 50 per cent to €90m. Advertisement Barcelona had reached a verbal agreement to sign the 22-year-old in June, although faced a challenge to generate the headroom in their wage budget to register the signing, which had seen the deal stall. 'When it comes to making decisions, for me, the most important is to listen to your heart,' Williams said upon his renewal. 'I am where I want to be, with my people. This is my home. Aupa Athletic!' Athletic's announcement video showed Williams spray-painting the mural of him and his older brother Inaki with '2035' — the same mural which had previously been defaced by Athletic fans ahead of his possible exit. Lo que más pesa es el corazón ❤️#AthleticWIN #AthleticClub 🦁 — Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) July 4, 2025 Inaki, 31, posted upon the announcement 'he stays'! The Catalan club were interested in Williams last summer — alongside Arsenal, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool — but were rebuffed by Athletic, whose president Jon Uriarte said the club were 'financially, socially and sportingly capable of keeping players of the calibre of Nico Williams'. Bayern Munich were also interested in signing Williams, as they are aiming to strengthen in wide areas after also losing out on Florian Wirtz, who moved to Liverpool earlier this summer. Williams came through Athletic's academy and made his senior debut in April 2020 aged 18. Since then he has made 167 appearances, registering 31 goals and 30 assists. He made his senior international debut for Spain in September 2022, the first of 28. Williams was part of their squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and starred with fellow Barca winger Lamine Yamal as Spain won the 2024 European Championship. He also started June's Nations League semi-final against France and the final which his country lost to Portugal on penalties. Additional reporting by Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero Analysis by Pol Ballus Barcelona and Nico Williams were in advanced negotiations over a potential transfer, with both the club and the player reaching an agreement on personal terms. The Catalan club had the money ready to pay his €60m release clause but, according to club sources familiar with the situation, a problem emerged in the last stage of talks: Williams' camp wanted to insert an exit clause, in case Barca were not able to register him, into the deal. Advertisement Senior figures at Barcelona were not willing to sanction that, which put the whole transfer in limbo. The club's executives still expected the deal to eventually go through, until the news from Bilbao broke this morning. This is a tough blow to Barca's planning for the summer. The club had made Nico Williams their top priority signing for the left-wing position as soon as the player's camp told the Catalans last month that he was willing to join. It remains to be seen how the news goes down with senior figures at the club, such as sporting director Deco and club president Joan Laporta. The former had publicly admitted Barcelona were after Williams, while Laporta was said to be confident on Barca having the capacity to afford the deal.
