'When the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and we will sing his song'
Liverpool manager Arne Slot(Image: PA)
Liverpool FC manager Arne Slot has paid touching tribute to Diogo Jota after the striker's tragic death in a car crash in Spain on Thursday morning. The Portuguese was killed along with his brother, Andre Silva, after a Lamborghini they were in veered off the road in the Zamora region of Sanabria and burst into flames.
As thousands flocked to Anfield to pay their respects, Slot said in a statement the club's 'sense of shock is absolute'. And he vowed Jota's life would be celebrated and honoured at the right time.
The Dutchman wrote: "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."
It is understood the vehicle suffered a tyre blowout when heading towards Benavente, with Zamora News reporting that emergency services were called to the scene shortly before 1am on Thursday morning. According to the Zamora provincial council, firefighters attended the scene on the A52, known as the Palacios de Sanabria, after the Lamborghini the pair were travelling in caught fire. Police said the accident happened at 12.30am.
Tributes: Diogo Jota(Image: Getty Images)
Slot took over as Liverpool head coach last summer and led the club to the Premier League title in his first season in charge. The Dutchman handed Jota 37 appearances as the forward delivered nine goals and three assists - including a memorable winner in the Anfield Merseyside derby over Everton.
His statement, reports The Echo, went on: "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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"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.
The scene in Spain(Image: Getty Images)
"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.
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"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.”