Liverpool to 'immortalise' Diogo Jota's jersey No.20 following his tragic death
"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," Liverpool said in an official statement.
Liverpool have never retired a jersey number in tribute to a player. However, fans continue to demand that the club make an exception for the talented and gifted striker.
Jota, who was born in Porto, started his professional career with Paços de Ferreira's youth setup before moving to La Liga club Atlético Madrid in 2016.
After being acquired by Porto on loan, he spent some time there before being transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. In 2020, Jota joined Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, and it was there that he found most of his success.
With Liverpool, he won the FA Cup and League Cup under Jurgen Klopp and the Premier League under Arne Slot in the 2024-25 season. He was also part of Portugal's squad that won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
What did Arne Slot say about Jota's death?
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he could not imagine the pain of the Jota family as he paid tribute to the 28-year-old forward, who was one of the major reasons behind the club's recent success.
"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," he 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," he added.
Diogo Jota has made 182 appearances for Liverpool since joining the club in 2020. He scored 65 goals, and most of his strikes came when the Reds needed it the most. He had the knack of standing tall under pressure.
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Liverpool players attend Diogo Jota's funeral in Portugal
Diogo Jota's Liverpool and Portugal teammates reached Portugal to pay last respects to the deceased. Jota died in a car crash along with his brother Andre Silva. read more The football world was left devastated on Thursday when the news broke out that Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota had tragically passed away in a car accident. Since it was off-season, Jota was spending time with his family. The 28-year-old recently got married, but could not experience more of his married life. He was travelling with his brother in Spain when the accident took place, but nobody survived the crash. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read | Diogo Jota's Liverpool and Portuguese teammates pay last respects The passing of Diogo Jota has shattered fans all over the world, and the social media space is filled with messages of condolence. It is a hard time to endure for his Liverpool and Portugal teammates. Liverpool players and staff joined the family and friends of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva for their funeral in Gondomar. People lined the streets as mourners arrived from across the globe to bid an emotional goodbye. More from Football The Liverpool head coach Arne Slot, captain Virgil van Dijk, defender Andrew Robertson, midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and former teammates Jordan Henderson and James Milner all attended the funeral in Portugal. Van Dijk and Robertson gave their tributes by carrying red football shirts, one bearing Jota's No. 20 squad number and Silva's No. 30 as they led the Liverpool players and officials into the church. Jota's Portugal colleagues Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot, attended the ceremony with head coach Roberto Martinez and Nottingham Forest's Nuno Espírito Santo, who managed Jota at Wolves. Al-Hilal's Joao Cancelo and Rúben Neves joined the ceremony, less than 12 hours after losing to Fluminense in the Club World Cup. The full squad in Portugal 🥹 — Tolu (@thisistolu) July 4, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'They are [have been] really sad days, as you can imagine, but today we have shown we are a very large, but close family,' Martínez told Sky Sports News. 'We are Portugal, and it was essential for us that [with] Andre Silva and Diogo Jota, we are together and we will always be together and their spirit will be with us forever. Thank you very much for your messages, for your support and everything that we have received [from] all over the world. It means a lot and today we are all one football family.'
India Today
3 hours ago
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Cristiano Ronaldo misses Diogo Jota's funeral? Fans left fuming at Portugal captain
Cristiano Ronaldo was reportedly absent from the funeral of his Portugal teammate Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away in a car accident on Thursday, 3 July. The absence of the national team captain sparked outrage among fans on social media, as many felt he should have been present to honour a teammate with whom he shared success in the UEFA Nations to a report by The Daily Mail, Ronaldo did not attend the service, which took place in Jota's hometown of Gondomar. The news left supporters shocked, especially given Ronaldo's longstanding leadership role within the national drew further attention was the presence of several of Jota's close friends and teammates, including midfielder Rben Neves, who made the journey despite having featured in Al-Hilal's FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinal clash against Fluminense earlier in the day. Neves was even one of the pallbearers at the funeral. Ronaldo, who is currently not involved in any active competitions, had shared a condolence message on social media but has not been seen in person at the memorial. This contrast in gestures led to mixed reactions online, with many fans expressing disappointment over his of Jota's Liverpool teammates were present at the service, including Virgil van Dijk, Caoimhin Kelleher, and new manager Arne Slot. From the Portugal national team, both Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes attended, offering their support to the family and paying their respects.'Jota will always be in our hearts. He'll be with us at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and during our national team get-togethers — at our PlayStation games, our card games,' Silva told Portuguese broadcaster TVI in an emotional fans attempted to defend Ronaldo, suggesting his presence could have unintentionally shifted the focus away from Jota during such a solemn remains unclear whether Ronaldo intends to attend a later memorial or visit the family privately, but as of now, his absence has left many supporters questioning his decision not to appear publicly at the service.- Ends
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Watch: Al Hilal's Cancelo, Neves break down in tears during Diogo Jota tribute at FIFA Club World Cup
Additionally, Chelsea's Pedro Neto paid tribute to his late Portugal teammate with a special jersey containing the names of Diogo and his brother Andre, who also died in the car crash in Spain on Thursday. read more Al Hilal's Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves struggled to contain their emotions during a tribute to the Portugal teammate Diogo Jota and his brother Andre, who had died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday, in their FIFA Club World Cup match against Fluminese. Image credit: Screengrab/DAZN Al Hilal's Joao Cancelo and Ruben Neves struggled to contain their emotions and broke down in tears as a moment's silence was observed during their FIFA Club World Cup quarter-final against Fluminese on Friday in memory of Portugal teammate Diogo Jota, on Thursday. Also paying tribute to Liverpool forward Jota, who died in a car crash in Spain along with brother Andre, was Chelsea's Pedro Neto, who carried a special jersey with the names Diogo and Andre during the day's second quarter-final against Palmeiras. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Watch: In remembrance of Diogo Jota and André Silva, a minute of silence was observed. 🤍 — DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 4, 2025 More from Football 🙏 A powerful tribute. Pedro Neto honors the memories of Diogo Jota and his brother André with a shirt bearing their names. — DAZN Football (@DAZNFootball) July 5, 2025 Friday's Club World Cup matches, which took place in Orlando and Philadelphia, marked the first on-field appearance of the Portuguese trio since the demise of the forward, who had helped Liverpool win their second Premier League title before starring in his nation's UEFA Nations League triumph alongside Cristiano Ronaldo with a 2-1 victory over Spain in the final. Also Read | Neves and Neto were also part of the Nations League-winning Portuguese side, with the former having also played alongside Jota at Wolverhampton Wanderers before the latter's transfer to Liverpool in 2020. Al Hilal coach Simone Inzaghi reflected on the tragic incident earlier this week and how it affected the two Portuguese players in his squad ahead of the quarter-final. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD '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,' Inzaghi had said in a press conference. '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. Also Read | Jota had tied the knot with his childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso just 10 days before the fatal clash that occurred in the province of Zamora. Fluminese and Chelsea at set for a semi-final showdown at the Club World Cup after defeating Al Hilal and Palmeiras respectively in the Club World Cup quarters.
