Diogo Jota died tragically in an auto accident in the early hours of the morning on Thursday in a remote, rural part of northern Spain. He was on his way to catch a ferry back to England after a recent lung surgery that meant he had been advised not to fly.
He was travelling back to [Liverpool](https://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/) to begin preparations next week for the 2025-26 season. He was travelling following his wedding on June 22nd when he married Rute Cardoso, his childhood sweetheart whom he has three children with. His brother and only sibling Andre Silva was in the car with him and also perished in the crash.
It’s hard to know how much is too much to say. How little is too little.
Hard to know if another story—or even, say, a breaking news banner announcing his passing—is tawdry and cheap or useful and cathartic. If it’s chasing page views or giving a platform for reflection. It’s hard, in short, to know what to say. Would be harder still for his friends and teammates, many of whom have tried despite that.
Which seems worth collecting, here. At least a few of them.
There have also been statements from the club, including most poignantly perhaps [from manager Arne Slot](https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/arne-slot-statement), who wrote:
> 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.
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> 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.
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> 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 last time we spoke, I 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 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.
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> His name is Diogo.