Liverpool's tribute to Diogo Jota in full: Reds hail ‘truly clutch figure' following forward's heartbreaking death
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LIVERPOOL have led tributes following the tragic death of Diogo Jota.
The 28-year-old died in a car crash while driving through Zamora, Spain, in a Lamborghini when a tyre suddenly burst and sent the car veering off the road before igniting into flames.
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Liverpool have paid tribute following the tragic death of Diogo Jota
Credit: Reuters
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The club described him as a truly clutch figure'
Credit: Reuters
The horrific incident killed both Jota and his younger brother, 25-year-old André Silva, who played for Portuguese second-tier club Penafiel.
Jota is survived by his childhood sweetheart, Rute, whom he had married only 10 days earlier, and three children.
Tributes and well-wishes poured in from all over the world since the heartbreaking news came to light.
This included team-mates and managers, past and present, and numerous celebrities and prominent figures.
On Thursday evening, Liverpool themselves posted a lengthy homage to the late attacker, describing him as a "truly clutch figure" before announcing they would "immortalise" his No20 shirt number.
The club's statement, which recounted his career with the Anfield outfit said: "'He will take us to victory,' sang the Liverpool fans in his honour – and Diogo Jota so often did exactly that.
"The Portugal forward, who has tragically passed away in a road traffic accident at the age of 28, was a truly clutch figure for the Reds, in just the right place when his team needed his finishing knack.
"He arrived at Anfield in September 2020, enhancing the new Premier League champions' attacking ranks by making the switch from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
"Jota's career had started out in his home country at Pacos de Ferreira and a senior debut in 2014 kicked off a rise to glory in the club and international game.
"Signed by Atletico Madrid in 2016, he would not actually appear for the Spanish side, instead enjoying a productive next campaign on loan at FC Porto, honing his scoring skills and gaining Champions League experience.
Portugal manager in tears as fans hold up Diogo Jota pictures during Women's Euro minute's silence for Liverpool star.mp4
"Another loan, this time to Wolves, beckoned and Jota was a key protagonist in firing the Midlands outfit out of the Championship with 17 goals during 2017-18.
"Capable of playing across all attacking positions, his work-rate and nimbleness enabled him to foil defenders in all kinds of ways, and those talents were successfully transferred permanently to the Premier League.
"Back-to-back seventh-placed finishes for Wolves in England's top flight came alongside a run to the Europa League last eight in 2019-20 that saw Jota score nine times.
"Liverpool then swooped to recruit him and despite the unenviable challenge of forcing his way into a front line already composed of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, his impact was quick and considerable.
"Indeed, Jota reached double figures for goals by his 21st Reds appearance, a tally that included a scintillating hat-trick away at Atalanta in the Champions League.
"An untimely injury prevented him from continuing that start but he returned to clinical effect, racking up 21 strikes in all competitions as Jürgen Klopp's side almost achieved a quadruple in 2021-22, lifting the Carabao Cup and Emirates FA Cup.
"'The slotter' was vital to those triumphs, a brilliant cameo against Leicester City in the quarter-finals of the former followed with a tie-deciding double at Arsenal in the semi-finals, while there was an FA Cup winner in the last eight versus Nottingham Forest.
"Though fitness misfortunes prevented Jota from always being able to feature in the seasons that followed, he continued to tot up goals and assists for the cause, relied upon by Klopp and his successor, Arne Slot.
"A cool head on the pitch – just remember his 94th-minute Anfield decider against Tottenham Hotspur in April 2023 – and a respected and much-loved team-mate off it.
"What cruelly has proved to be his final flourish in football saw Jota become a Premier League champion and a UEFA Nations League winner.
"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.
"To arrive at this particular season with the title that I've been chasing for a lot of years and in the best league in the world – for me where I dreamed to play as a kid – it's a moment I will cherish forever,' he said.
"It is a remarkable achievement for a small guy that came from Gondomar, where I had this dream. To arrive at this moment was outstanding.'
"More joy and special moments followed just last month as Portugal – Jota represented his country 49 times and 14 of his overall senior total of 150 goals came in internationals – lifted the Nations League trophy.
"And he then celebrated marriage to wife Rute, with whom he had three children, on June 22.
"'His name is Diogo,' rang the chorus of that very own supporter chant. And we'll never forget it. RIP Diogo Jota, 1996-2025."
Jota's and Silva's funerals will be in their hometown of Gondomar near the Portuguese city of Porto.
Local priest Jose Manuel Macedo initially announced the ceremonies would take place at 4pm on Friday before confirming they had been rescheduled to Saturday morning.
Father Macedo said a wake would take place at Sao Cosme Chapel before the funeral mass on Saturday morning at the Catholic church next door - the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar.
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