The club may choose to retire Jota’s shirt number after the 28-year-old died in a car crash in Spain
Your support helps us to tell the story
Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Liverpool have said Diogo Jota’s number 20 shirt will be “rightly immortalised” after the 28-year-old’s death in a car accident in Spain.
Jota was travelling with his brother, Andre Silva, when their car veered off the road and caught fire following what police suspect was a tyre blowout. They had been travelling to Santander ahead of a ferry crossing to the UK.
A tribute to the Portuguese on the Liverpool website called Jota a “respected and much-loved teammate“ both on and off the pitch, adding that “the No 20 will be rightly immortalised for his contributions”.
“What cruelly has proved to be his final flourish in football saw Jota become a Premier League champion and a UEFA Nations League winner,” said the statement.
“The No 20 will be rightly immortalised for his contributions as part of Liverpool’s 2024-25 title-winners – the club’s 20th – with his trademark shimmy and strike in front of the Kop to seal victory in April’s Merseyside derby a poignant last goal of his life,” it added.
Though the statement suggests the nature of the incident means that his number will be “immortalised”, it is unknown whether the club have any formal plans to retire the shirt, though some fans have called for that to happen.
Liverpool have never retired a number before, though other clubs have done so following similar incidents.
Diogo Jota died alongside his brother, Andre Silva, in a car crash in Spain on Thursday (Mike Egerton/PA)
Diogo Jota died alongside his brother, Andre Silva, in a car crash in Spain on Thursday (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)
Following Liverpool’s title win, Jota remarked at the time: “To arrive at this particular season with the title that I’ve been chasing for a lot of years and in the best league in the world – for me where I dreamed to play as a kid – it’s a moment I will cherish forever.
“It is a remarkable achievement for a small guy that came from Gondomar, where I had this dream. To arrive at this moment was outstanding,” he said.
How to watch logo
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
How to watch logo
Get 4 months free with ExpressVPN
Servers in 105 Countries
Superior Speeds
Works on all your devices
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
A vigil will be held at the Chapel of Resurrection in Gondomar, Jota and Silva's hometown on the outskirts of Porto, before the funeral takes place on Saturday, 5 July.