Diogo Jota’s untimely death will leave a massive gap in the hearts of many Liverpool fans for years to come.
The attacker was just 28 years old when he passed away with his 25-year-old brother, Andre Silva, also in the car, which reportedly veered off the road after its tyre popped.
The last couple of days have been horrible for everyone involved with the Anfield outfit, with all of his teammates, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, putting out heartfelt messages to him and his family.
While it will certainly be tough for Liverpool to put in top-level performances this season, the fact that they will be playing in his honour will no doubt spur them on to do even better.
Here, Rousing the Kop have collected four quotes that outline why Jota was born to be an Anfield star.
Diogo Jota admitted he was playing in the best team of his career
Liverpool's Diogo Jota warms up ahead of the UEFA Champions League match against PSG at Parc des Princes.
Photo by Rico Brouwer/Soccrates/Getty Images
There have been many moments during Jota’s time with Liverpool that fans will fondly remember.
However, his Champions League hat-trick against Atalanta will no doubt be most fans’ favourite.
The striker was on a different level during that game and proved why he deserved to be chosen by Jurgen Klopp.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
And, speaking in an interview after the tie, the attacker said the following: “I’m playing in the best team of my career so far, that’s for sure.
“I don’t know if it was my best moment, but obviously scoring goals is my way of playing football.
“So, I’m really happy with this and with the result, of course, it was a great win away in the Champions League, good moment, good night.”
Not only does this outline how humble he was, but it also shows how much he cared about his team.
Virgil van Dijk dubs Diogo Jota a ‘fantastic’ player
Virgil van Dijk and Diogo Jota pictured in a Premier League game playing for Liverpool.
Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images
Since arriving at Anfield in 2020, Jota was one of the most clinical finishers at the club by a country mile.
He was often the man chosen to lead the line, and when he wasn’t, he was brought on to be Liverpool’s closer.
There are countless performances from the Portugal international that could be pinpointed as some of his best; however, Virgil van Dijk hailed the attacker for his performance against Arsenal back in 2021, which booked them a place in the Carabao Cup final.
“Diogo Jota is already a fantastic player, the numbers speak for themselves,” Van Dijk told BBC Radio 5 Live via This is Anfield.
“He is very important, he has shown it from last year and is a difficult striker, winger to play against. I know it from training. He stepped up again tonight.
“He took the second goal fanatically well, a great ball from Trent Alexander-Arnold and it put relief in the team.
“If it was 1-0 in the last 10 minutes it might have been tricky. We controlled the game overall and did not have massive chances.”
Diogo Jota’s three children were born in Liverpool
Diogo Jota pictured during a Premier League game between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Not only was Jota an incredible footballer, but he also massively contributed off the pitch.
Whenever he had a chance, he was always working with the LFC foundation or even sending messages of support to young Liverpool fans who needed it.
However, one of the best things about him was that he was a massive family man; he had three children and had only just married his childhood sweetheart on 22 June.
Life is incredibly cruel, but you could tell how much it meant to him to even just be able to represent Liverpool.
In an unseen video released after his death, Jota shared his thoughts on the city and outlined what it meant to him.
“I will always remember this city, this club. My three kids were born here, it changed my life completely,” he said.
Jurgen Klopp knew that Diogo Jota would be a star from the very first moment he saw him
Diogo Jota and Jurgen Klopp pictured during a Premier League match between Liverpool and Arsenal.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Klopp was the man who brought the ‘lad from Portugal’ to Anfield in what was arguably one of his best ever signings.
The former Wolves man was a massive difference-maker during Klopp’s time in charge, and to be honest, it’s unlikely that he’d have done as well without the attacker among his ranks.
Speaking back in 2021 in quotes relayed by the Liverpool ECHO about what he saw in Jota and why he brought him in, the German said the following: “I remember the first time I saw him I thought he could be a player for me because of how intense he was in all situations.
“Technically he was on a really high level but the intensity he puts in makes all the difference as at our level all players have technical quality.
“You make a difference with your attitude and that was what I was most excited about adding Diogo to the mix.
“People said he didn’t score an awful lot of goals but the problem is Wolves had the most intense style of play for offensive wingers.
“[Raul] Jimenez was allowed to stay up but the rest had to cover the whole pitch and it costs you energy. And he was very young then.
“All that made it very interesting for us [and] it was clear he would make the next steps with us.
“What I didn’t know when I saw him first is Diogo is an incredible package. From a personality point of view he is an incredible boy, really smart, structured in a nice way.”
There’s never going to be anybody like Jota to ever play for Liverpool again.
His loss is a massive tragedy, and he will be missed by everyone.
Rest in peace, Diogo.