"He gave everything to us. This is a loss for everyone."
People gathering outside Anfield stadium on July 3 2025 to pay tribute to Diogo Jota
People gathering outside Anfield stadium on July 3 2025 to pay tribute to Diogo Jota(Image: Liverpool Echo)
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Normally, Paisley Square outside Anfield is a quiet place on a summer’s day. Outside of the football season, it’s a far cry from a bustling matchday, with the only visitors likely to be a smattering of fans wandering around the ground, browsing the club shop or doing a tour of the stadium.
But exactly a year ago today, the square was very different as hundreds arrived on a bright Thursday morning to start an impromptu tribute filled with flowers, shirts and scarves to Diogo Jota, forever Liverpool’snumber 20, and his brother Andre Silva.
The permanent memorial to Jota and his brother Silva, which now stands on that same spot, will remind everyone how shocking and devastating it was when news of his death broke at around 9.30am UK time on July 3 2025.
The siblings were killed in a car crash as the Portugal international was making his way back to Merseyside for pre-season training, and just days after he had married long-term partner Rute Cardoso.
I will never forget being at my desk in the ECHOoffice that day. I saw a sudden uptick in interest on a story I had written two days previously about Jota’s wedding, only to discover moments later what had happened to a footballer, I and thousands of others, had seen lift the Premier League title inside Anfieldless than six weeks previously.
It also dawned on me that I had seen his final goal for Liverpool in the flesh; the winner in a nervy 1-0 victory over Everton on April 2.
Diogo Jota of Liverpool with the Premier League trophy, after Liverpool were crowned the champions of the Premier League, following the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on May 25, 2025
Diogo Jota of Liverpool with the Premier League trophy, after Liverpool were crowned the champions of the Premier League, following the Premier League match between Liverpool and Crystal Palace at Anfield on May 25, 2025(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Myself, along with my colleagues Alice Walker and Sonia Veneziani-Rocha, were the first journalists to arrive in Anfield at what would become a scene of global significance. It was around half an hour after the news broke in the UK.
When we got to Stanley Park, Andrew Oakley, 54, and his Reds-supporting son, Jacob, hadn’t even heard the news yet. They were astonished when we told them.
Andrew said: “Really? I had no idea. It’s devastating. I imagine there will be a lot of people around the ground today.” His son, Jacob, 11, added: “It’s shocking.”
There was a near-stunned silence around the stadium as people struggled to process what had happened. The deaths of Liverpool legends had shocked supporters before, but never in recent memory has a player died while they were still playing for the club.
Ian Clark paying tribute to Diogo Jota
Ian Clark paying tribute to Diogo Jota(Image: Liverpool Echo)
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Ian Clark, 52, from Huyton, was one of those coming to terms with the tragic news. He was taking some friends of his from Mauritius around the famous stadium when he heard about it.
He said: “I must admit, I had to check it eight or nine times. For your life to be taken away in your prime, it’s a shame. It’s a shame for his club, shame for the fans but most of all it’s a shame for his family.”
There is no normal way to react to something like this. I know of some supporters who couldn’t bring themselves to go.
Others headed to Anfield because they, understandably, wanted to do something, anything, to pay their respects and be among the many other fans who were also trying to process what had happened.
Tributes left to Jota in Paisley Square a year ago today
Tributes left to Jota in Paisley Square a year ago today(Image: Liverpool Echo)
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Wayne Duffy, 44, from Anfield, said: “I’m still in shock. Devastation is what I can describe it as. He's 28, he’s just been married, a new season is coming up - imagine what the players are going through. My thoughts are with his family and friends."
It wasn't just Liverpool supporters around the stadium either. Reds fan Kelly Parsons, 40, from Aintree, was joined by her husband Joseph, a Manchester United fan. Joseph placed a scarf from his team there as a mark of respect.
Kelly said: “He asked me, would it be disrespectful if I bought my Man United scarf out? I said, absolutely not. Times like this bring everybody together. The whole football community, the whole world to be honest.”
Liverpool fan Kelly Parsons and Man United-supporting husband Joseph paying respects to Diogo Jota at Anfield
Liverpool fan Kelly Parsons and Man United-supporting husband Joseph paying respects to Diogo Jota at Anfield
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Jota was considered by many to be an adopted Scouser. People outside of the football world may think that is a given when players are successful at Liverpool, but it definitely isn’t. Liverpool fans generally love to shower their successful players with adoration, but not all of them are crowned with that title.
Jota endeared himself to the Anfield faithful by working tirelessly in every game, which was emblematic of the collective spirit which powered Liverpool though the most successful period in the club’s modern history.
He stood up for himself and his teammates when things got tough, as seen when he celebrated wildly after scoring the winning penalty in a Carabao Cup tie against Leicester in December 2021, after a night when a much-changed Liverpool side came back twice to win and put them on course to lift the trophy two months later.
Reflecting on that moment last December, Jurgen Klopp summed it up perfecly: “He was the supporters' representative on the pitch.”
Elliot Francis, 19, told the ECHO he would regularly speak to Jota at Anfield
Elliot Francis, 19, told the ECHO he would regularly speak to Jota at Anfield(Image: Liverpool Echo)
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This came repeatedly during our conversations with supporters. For Ian, it wasn’t just Jota’s ability in front of goal that impressed him.
He said: “Everybody always remembers his goals but one thing you always remember is his passion. He never stopped running for that shirt. That’s all we expect. That’s why the fans always loved him.”
Elliot Francis, 19, from Dingle, travelled down to Anfield when he heard about the news. As a season ticket-holder, he developed a special connection with Jota.
Elliot said he spoke to Jota every week after the match, adding that the Portuguese player used to stop to talk to him in the ground as he was making his way off the pitch.
Like Ian, it was Jota’s attitude that impressed Elliot. Elliot said: "Jota was brilliant. He was everything we wanted from a Liverpool player.
"He was a real Scouser, he gave everything to us. This is a loss for everyone. It's devastating for his family. His song will forever be sung now."