Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has reacted to the ‘unimaginable loss’ of forward Diogo Jota, while Anfield chiefs Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have also released a joint statement.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning following a car accident in the Spanish province of Zamora. Jota was driving to catch a ferry and return for Liverpool’s pre-season training, having been told by doctors not to fly after undergoing minor surgery.
Jota’s car was overtaking another vehicle when a tyre blew out, leading to the crash and the car catching fire.
The player was just 28 years old and had only recently married long-term partner Rute Cardoso. The pair have three children together.
Jota’s brother was aged 25 and played for Penafiel in the Portuguese second tier.
The tragedy has resulted in an outpouring of love and support from the global footballing community, with fans from a number of clubs laying flowers and shirts outside Anfield.
A stunned Slot vowed to support the family and insisted everyone at Liverpool ‘will celebrate Diogo Jota when the time is right’.
‘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,’ [Slot’s statement began](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/arne-slot-statement).
‘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.
‘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.
‘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.
‘I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it. Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals. The essence of what a Liverpool player should be.
‘There were also the parts that not everyone got to see. The person who never sought popularity but found it anyway. Not a friend to two people, a friend to everyone. Someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family.
‘The last time we spoke, I congratulated Diogo on winning the Nations League and wished him luck for his forthcoming wedding. In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this.
‘When I first came to the club, one of the first songs I got to know was the one that our fans sing for Diogo. I had not worked with him previously but I knew straight away that if the Liverpool supporters, who have seen so many great players over the years, had such a unique chant for Diogo, he must have special qualities.
‘That we have lost those qualities in such terrible circumstances is something we have not yet come to terms with. For this reason, we need everyone at the club to stand together and to be there for one another. We owe this to Diogo, to Andre Silva, to their wider family and to ourselves.
‘My condolences go to Diogo’s wife, Rute, their three beautiful children and to the parents of Diogo and Andre Silva.
‘When the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and we will sing his song. For the time being, we will remember him as a unique human being and mourn his loss. He will never be forgotten.
‘His name is Diogo.’
Edwards and Hughes added in their own statement: ‘There is nothing that we can say in this moment to ease the pain of such a devastating tragedy. We all feel utterly bereft right now.
‘In such heartbreaking circumstances, it is our responsibility to acknowledge the collective grief we are experiencing, to pay tribute to our Diogo, and to offer unwavering support to his family who remain our absolute priority at this time.
‘Diogo’s wife, Rute, their three beautiful children, his parents and wider family are facing an unimaginable loss. This tragic accident has taken not only Diogo, but also his brother, Andre Silva. We mourn them both equally. We must respect the family’s privacy and give them the space to grieve in whichever way they need.
‘Of course, we – his Liverpool family – are also struggling to come to terms with what has happened. As his teammates, friends and colleagues, we are consumed by shock and sorrow. We know our supporters, his national team, former clubs and teammates and the wider football community share in this grief. This is a tragedy that transcends Liverpool Football Club.
‘In the coming days, we as a club will look to honour our beloved number 20 with the respect and affection he so richly deserves. We will strive to make these tributes meaningful and inclusive of our supporters, to whom Diogo meant so much.
‘For now, we express a love that is filled with deep sorrow and pain. We have lost someone truly irreplaceable.
‘Rest in peace, Diogo.
YNWA.’
_**READ MORE:**_ [**‘Devastated’ Liverpool make statement as Diogo Jota, 28, dies in a car crash**](https://www.teamtalk.com/liverpool/diogo-jota-liverpool-fc-devastated-club-lead-tributes-28-year-old-dies-car-crash)