Latest news with #RememberingDiogo:OurNumber20
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'A Blanket of Love' – Liverpool's Chaplain Pays Heartfelt Tribute to Diogo Jota
Liverpool Mourns Diogo Jota with Citywide Tribute It does not feel real, not yet. Walk up to Anfield this week and you are met not by turnstiles or tension, but silence, scarves and a weight that presses down on your chest. Diogo Jota is gone. And Liverpool, the city and the club, is struggling to breathe. Advertisement As tributes flood in for the No.20 who etched his name into Premier League history during Arne Slot's title-winning season, it is the words of Bill Bygroves, Liverpool's club chaplain, that have pierced through the fog of grief. 'There's like a blanket of love here,' he said, standing among the scarves, shirts and sun-drenched flowers outside the Kop. 'That shows the empathy and sympathy that is being displayed by our city and others beyond.' Bygroves, who has served the club since the Shankly era, spoke as part of LFCTV's special, Remembering Diogo: Our Number 20. His voice, weathered by decades of Merseyside life, carried a depth that only lived experience brings. Strength in Sorrow and Togetherness in Pain 'There's not a person here who hasn't known loss,' he reflected. 'But when it comes like this, so traumatic and devastating, it touches all of our hearts.' Advertisement This isn't a standard farewell. This is Liverpool standing in formation, scarves raised, eyes red. This is grief wrapped in red flags and Portuguese colours, in shirts laid carefully under the Shankly Gates, in a PlayStation controller nestled beneath a framed photo of two brothers. Bygroves captured it all. 'Folk just want to show to the family how much we care and how much we love and that they are in our thoughts and prayers continually.' In a time when grief can feel directionless, his words offered a compass: 'You do need time. That's important. You do need to shed tears.' And then came the line that has been shared, spoken, sung, written in chalk and etched into banners: 'Tears are the safety valves of the heart when too much pressure is on them. They're like liquid prayers. They say things we haven't got the words for.' Legacy that Stretches Beyond Football Jota wasn't just a forward. He was a symbol. A player whose relentless pressing, cool finishing and quiet humility made him adored. He was a key figure in Liverpool's 2024-25 title triumph, scoring crucial goals in high-pressure moments and carving his place among Anfield's modern heroes. Advertisement And now, Liverpool FC are looking at ways to ensure that No.20 is never worn again. It won't bring him back, but it says everything about what he meant. The club has opened a book of condolences at Anfield and online, inviting supporters around the world to leave messages of love, support and memory. Carrying Diogo Jota with us There's no instruction manual for mourning a player like Jota. But Bygroves perhaps came closest: 'Keep and lock in your heart precious memories of folk and allow them to grieve in their own way, in their own time.' This is what Liverpool does. We grieve in scarves. We mourn in song. And we remember in the silence between the chants. Jota will always be part of this club, stitched into its fabric, whispered in its anthem. He will never walk alone.
Daily Mirror
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
How to watch Diogo Jota remembrance programme with special show on TV & online
Liverpool are broadcasting a special remembrance programme tonight as the club continues to pay tribute to Diogo Jota. Jota and his brother Andre tragically died in a car crash on Thursday in Zamora, Spain. Jota spent five seasons at Anfield, helping them win the Premier League, FA Cup and the League Cup, and Liverpool are set to honour the forward with an emotional tribute programme titled 'Remembering Diogo: Our Number 20'. The programme will be broadcast live on Liverpool's YouTube channel, LFCTV and All Red Video from 6pm BST. The club say that it will "include the many tributes from fans, teammates and across the football world in recent days, while saluting a hugely popular player and person by looking back on his impact on and off the pitch". The majority of Liverpool's squad attended the funerals of Jota and his brother on Saturday, including captain Virgil van Dijk, and a number of former Reds players were also there. In a heartfelt tribute posted on Instagram, Van Dijk said: "Man, I can't believe it, I don't wanna believe it. "Absolutely devastated and in total disbelief. What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man. You meant so much to all of us and you always will! "For your family to lose two sons, a husband and a father is just unimaginable. So cruel and unfair. My heart is breaking for all of your beautiful family, for Rute and for your kids. I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family. "A champion forever, number 20 forever. It's been a privilege to have stood by your side on the pitch, and to have been your friend off it. We will miss you beyond words and never forget you. Your legacy will live on, we will make sure of it! Rest in perfect peace Diogo & Andre." Andy Robertson also shared a powerful tribute, writing: "The ones I'm thinking about most right now are the family. Their loss is too much to bear. I'm so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls - Diogo and Andre. "For the team and the Club, we'll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. "It's the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real. Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I've ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I'd try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota. "We'd watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight - one of the best we had. The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. "I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family. "I can't believe we're saying goodbye. It's too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate - and for making it better. Love you, Diogo."
