‘A loved one to all of us' – Arne Slot pays emotional tribute to Diogo Jota after Liverpool star's tragic death
Jota died in a car accident on Thursday while
driving through Zamora,
Spain with his younger brother, Andre Silva.
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Arne Slot has paid a heartfelt tribute after Diogo Jota's tragic passing
Credit: AFP
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The Liverpool boss described Jota as someone who was 'loved by all'
Credit: Getty
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Jota, 28, was killed in a car accident in Spain alongside his younger brother, Andre Silva
Credit: Instagram
Tributes poured in from across the world of sport, not just football.
His club described the loss of the 28-year-old as "devastating".
Manager Slot has now penned his own heartfelt tribute for the Portuguese footballer, saying he was "loved by all".
In a tribute shared on Liverpool's website, Slot, 46, said: "What to say? What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words but I know I do not.
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"All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about.
"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."
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The Irish Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Liverpool postpone pre-season return with club and players grieving following tragic death of Diogo Jota
LIVERPOOL have delayed their players' return for pre-season in the wake of Diogo Jota's tragic death. The Kop star and Portugal 5 Liverpool and Portugal star Diogo Jota was killed in a car crash in Spain on Thursday Credit: AP 5 Jota's younger brother, Andre Silva, also died in the crash Credit: FC Porto 5 Arne Slot's troops' return to training has been postponed following Jota's passing Credit: EPA And his passing has prompted the Merseyside club to delay the first group of Arne Slot's troops' proposed return to training, which was scheduled for Friday. Tributes have poured in from around the world for the late dad of three, who lost his life less than two weeks after tying the knot with childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso. Team-mate Mohamed Salah said: 'I am truly lost for words. "Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break. READ MORE ON DIOGO JOTA 'Team-mates come and go, but not like this. It's going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won't be there when we go back. 'My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children. 'Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten.' Former Kop chief Jurgen Klopp said: "This is a moment where I struggle! Most read in Football 5 5 "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 Andre. Diogo Jota killed alongside brother in Lamborghini crash days after marrying childhood sweetheart 'Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! We will miss you so much! 'All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them! Rest in peace." Reds boss Slot said: "What to say? What can anyone say at a time like this when the shock and the pain is so incredibly raw? "I wish I had the words but I know I do not. "All I have are feelings that I know so many people will share about a person and a player we loved dearly and a family we care so much about. "My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. I'm heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre Jurgen Klopp "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. "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. "This is not solely a response to tragedy. "It is also a reaction to the goodness of the people involved and the respect that so many have for the boys as individuals and for the family as a whole." Jota and his brother will be laid to rest on Saturday in Gondomar, Portugal .
RTÉ News
17 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Diogo Jota mourned by family, Portugal's PM in hometown wake
Portugese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro joined members of Diogo Jota's family for a private wake in the Liverpool footballer's hometown in northern Portugal following his death alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain. Jota's longtime agent Jorge Mendes was also seen joining the family that included his wife Rute Cardoso, who had married the footballer just weeks earlier. Mr Montenegro spent almost half an hour with the family before leaving without making a statement. Hearses carrying the bodies of Jota and his brother left for Gondomar near Porto yesterday evening from the morgue of Puebla de Sanabria, near where the Lamborghini the brothers were travelling in had veered off the road after midnight yesterday. Police said they suspected a tyre had burst. A public wake is expected to take place at a chapel in Gondomar from 4pm and a funeral tomorrow at a church nearby at 10am local time, the office of Gondomar's mayor said. The death of forward Jota at the age of 28 has jolted the world of football, with messages of homage pouring in from former teammates, clubs, national leaders and fans. Outside Liverpool's Anfield stadium fans left flowers, scarves and handwritten notes, many from children. "I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the (summer) break," Liverpool teammate Mohamed Salah said on Instagram. "Teammates come and go but not like this. It's going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won't be there when we go back," he added. Football clubs including Paris St Germain, who have several Portugal internationals in their squad, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid observed a moment of silence during training for their matches at the Club World Cup in the United States. Jota's manager at Liverpool, Arne Slot, said in a statement yesterday that his thoughts were with his family. "My message to them is very clear - you will never walk alone," het said. "For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. 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," the Dutchman added. In Gondomar, a town of about 160,000 people in the Porto metropolitan area, residents were struggling to come to terms with the sudden death of a local hero. At the Diogo Jota Academy in Gondomar - whose motto is "It's not important where we come from, but where we are going" - people placed candles, flowers and scarves and shirts from the various clubs he played for and from the Portuguese national team in tribute to the player. Jota opened the academy in 2022 for children aged 6-9 at the Gondomar Football Club where he himself played for ten years as a child. It was at Gondomar's high school that he met his wife. They began dating aged 15 when in the same class and she became a pillar in his life. When they were 19, they moved to Madrid together, when Jota was transferred from the small Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira to Atletico Madrid. "Besides being his girlfriend and best friend, I'm his number one fan," she told the newspaper 'A Bola' at the time. The couple have three young children. Jota was making his way back to Liverpool by car after he was told he should avoid plane travel for up to six weeks following lung surgery to address a fractured rib, his physiotherapist Miguel Goncalves told broadcaster Now late. He said Jota was recovering well from the pneumothorax surgery and that he had planned to take a ferry to the UK from Spain.
Irish Examiner
17 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Funeral preparations begin for Diogo Jota as tributes to Liverpool star continue
Preparations have begun for the wake and funeral of Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota as tributes continue to flood in for the Portuguese international following his death in a car crash in Spain. The father of three, who married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso 11 days before the incident, was killed alongside his brother Andre Silva after a Lamborghini they were travelling in burst into flames following a suspected tyre blowout in the early hours of Thursday morning. Flowers could be seen being carried into a chapel in Porto ahead of the 28-year-old's funeral – which parish priest at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar in Sao Cosme, Jose Manuel Macedo, said would begin at 10am on Saturday. Flowers gifted from Porto FC ahead of the wake of Diogo Jota being held at Sao Cosme Chapel in the town of Gondomar near Porto (PA) A wake for the brothers is set to take place on Friday afternoon at the nearby Capela da Ressurreicao. Portuguese prime minister Luis Montenegro was one of a number of people to arrive at the chapel for the wake on Friday. Liverpool Football Club postponed the return of players for pre-season following Jota's death, as a number of players past and present paid tribute. The club's manager Arne Slot said the 'sense of shock is absolute', adding: 'He was a loved one to all of us.' Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson returned to Anfield with flowers and a club scarf on Friday as he paid his own tribute to Jota. A sea of floral tributes had been left outside the ground, with many Liverpool fans and supporters of other clubs looking to pay their respects. Flags have been lowered to half-mast at the stadium and all club stores, museums and tours have been closed until Monday, with staff offered wellbeing support. Jota was killed in a car crash on Thursday (Mike Egerton/PA) Jota and Silva were both found dead after the car crashed on the A-52 in Palacios de Sanabria near the city of Zamora at 12.40am on Thursday. Police said they were investigating the possibility that the Lamborghini left the road because of a tyre blowout while overtaking, and a source from the government sub-delegation in Zamora confirmed 'a possible speeding incident' was being looked at. Pictures of the aftermath of the crash showed debris scattered along the side of the road including what appeared to be charred parts of the vehicle. No other vehicles are said to have been involved in the incident. The club has opened physical and digital books of condolence in the wake of the deaths, and supporters and members of the public can go to the Anfield Road Stand reception area over the coming days to sign a message. The online book can be found here. Read More Caoimhín Kelleher pays moving tribute to darts and snooker pal Diogo Jota
