Chelsea will use a portion of Club World Cup money allocated toward player bonuses to make a donation to the family of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. It comes with the brothers set to be honored at all Premier League fixtures this weekend.
Chelsea earned an estimated $114.6 million (£84.4 million) from its Club World Cup triumph, with the London club setting aside $15.5 million (£11.4 million) for player bonuses, per The Athletic. That pot is set to be distributed in equal shares among those who featured in the United States.
And the players and management have made the classy joint decision to give one of those shares to Jota's family, who are dealing with the tragic death of the two brothers following a car accident involving the Liverpool and Penafiel players earlier in the summer.
The news comes after it was reported by Record last month that the Anfield side would pay out the remainder of Jota's contract to the family.
Jota leaves behind his wife, Rute Cardoso. Heartbreakingly, the pair had gotten married mere days before the accident.
The brothers are also survived by their parents. Jota had previously spoken in glowing terms about how much his mother and father had worked to enable their dreams of becoming footballers.
Chelsea's act is a touching one. It's expected that before any taxes and conversion costs, the share to be allocated to Jota's family will be worth more than $500,000.
Enzo Maresca was among the first to respond to the tragedy. He was asked about it while on media duty at the Club World Cup.
"It’s a very sad day," he said at the time. "I struggle to find the words because it’s very difficult.
"The feeling that you have is you feel a bit helpless in this kind of situation. The only thing that I can say is all my love to his family and the people who, in this moment, it’s a big tragedy for them."
Liverpool fans display a banner for Diogo Jota
Liverpool fans display a banner for Diogo Jota (Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Chelsea forward Pedro Neto has also led tributes to Jota. He dedicated the Club World Cup win to his former Wolves and Portugal colleague.
Meanwhile, Jota's close friend and fellow former Wolves star Ruben Neves pledged in a moving tribute that the Liverpool star's loved ones would "never lack for anything." Amid the tragedy, the soccer world has rallied around the grieving family.
Liverpool is continuing with tributes of its own. It will unveil a special fan mosaic tomorrow at Anfield ahead of the game with Bournemouth, as well as holding a minute's silence.
More permanent plans are also in place. The No. 20 jersey has been retired, while a memorial sculpture is being worked on.
Thousands of floral tributes were placed around Anfield after the accident. These will be composted and used in flower beds around the stadium, the AXA Training Centre, and Melwood.