The football community are trying to process the tragedy of Diogo Jota’s shocking and untimely death on Thursday.
Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed after a tyre reportedly burst in a car they were travelling in, causing a crash and subsequent fire.
The Liverpool striker is survived by a newly-wedded wife, Rute, and three young children. For many, it has all been too much to bear.
Unfortunately, Liverpool is a club which has previous experience of dealing with tragic circumstances. As a result, the Reds are well equipped to handle things in the right manner and tone.
And having spent much of Thursday in silence out of respect to Jota and his family, Liverpool broke their stillness in the evening.
After a joint message from Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes, Arne Slot then displayed his compassion with an exceptionally worded tribute. The Liverpool owners paid their own respects, before the club released an emotional video of Jota’s time in red.
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Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Liverpool pay emotional tribute to Diogo Jota
As Edwards and Hughes said in their joint statement: “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.”
And that honouring began with a three-and-a-half minute video featuring a voice-over from Jota himself.
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Jota gave an interview to the club shortly before his death in June, expressing his happiness at having ‘fulfilled a dream’ of winning the Premier League title.
And these are the words chosen to accompany images of Jota scoring some of his most memorable goals as a Liverpool player. Lovingly titled ‘Our lad from Portugal. Forever,’ the video plays out over a haunting piano backing track.
READ MORE: Diogo Jota: Remembering a hugely talented footballer but an even better human being
Some goals from his time at Wolves are also featured, as the 28-year-old speaks about his childhood desire to play in the Premier League.
Clips from his first ever interview at Liverpool are included too, along with giant goals against Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton.
The video ends with images from Jota’s recent wedding day, as well as of him beaming while lifting the Premier League trophy. Heart-breaking.
What else could Liverpool do for Jota?
An indefatigably classy club, fans will expect that Liverpool will do the right thing in honouring Jota over the coming days, weeks, months and years.
Supporters have called for Jota’s No. 20 shirt to be retired, and this feels like a small gesture that is very much within the club’s reach.
Beyond that, quite how far Liverpool are willing to go to honour their eternal striker remains to be seen.
There is a precedent of players passing away while in active duty for clubs where stands have been named in their honour and permanent tributes placed around the stadium and training facility. This is of course possible in the case of Jota as well.
But the bottom line is that, while all of this is designed to remember a player who always gave his all for the club, nothing will ease the pain of his family, friends and teammates who will continue to hurt beyond belief.