There could not have been a starker contrast between the scenes at Anfield after Liverpool won the Premier League title, and then now.
Just weeks ago, Diogo Jota and his teammates were dancing around with the silverware they coveted the most. This time, crowds gathered in L4 to mourn the tragic passing of the 28-year-old forward, and his younger brother, Andre Silva.
It is unspeakably sad. Two days on from the news breaking, and with the wake and funeral in Gondomar, northern Portugal, now concluded, it still doesn't feel any more real. It isn't going to for some time yet.
Often, we talk about footballers as if they are commodities to be bought and sold. There is an obsession over transfers and names are treated as nothing more than names on a spreadsheet or a scout's notepad.
A reminder should not be needed, but this tragedy offers one. They are human. They are like the rest of us. And what happened here has really hammered that home.
What matters most, and is truly important, is that Jota and Silva leave behind a grieving family. It is more than two footballers that have gone; they each played different roles: father, husband, brother, child.
A message left in Gondomar for Diogo Jota and Andre Silva.
A message left in Gondomar for Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. (Image: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
That is not to downplay the importance of sport, though. So many people have mourned the tragic loss of Jota and Silva because of soccer; the Liverpool number 20, in particular, was known to many because of his job.
Millions around the world have struggled to come to terms with his passing because — despite never meeting him — they felt that they had a connection with Jota. Fans loved him because he played the game as they would have had they had his talent.
Jota was a relentlessly hard worker on the field and he made the most of his significant talent. Off it, he was a normal guy: someone who loved his family and relaxed by playing video games. He was a superstar, but he didn't necessarily behave like one.
Tributes are laid for Diogo Jota at Anfield.
Tributes are laid for Diogo Jota at Anfield. (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
In Gondomar, at Anfield, and well beyond, people who had perhaps only ever seen Jota through a TV screen, or had never had a direct interaction with Silva, were lost for words, struggling to process their emotions.
Soccer is about far more than just the tactics and actions that take place on the field, at whatever level it is played. It is about relationships, friendships, and a sense of belonging.
Everyone knew that already, of course, but the deaths of Jota and Silva — leaving behind a devastated family — are a reminder of just how big a part in fans' lives those who play the sport really play.
It hurts, and it is going to for some time yet. If there is one small crumb of comfort to be taken, the outpouring of emotion, a clear sign of just how much Jota meant to Liverpool, means his legacy is clear. Jota and Silva will live on forever.