Alexis Mac Allister has beautifully paid tribute to Diogo Jota, and explained why Liverpool’s Premier League title “has taken on a much deeper meaning.”
Diogo Jota will be forever Liverpool’s No. 20.
Having passed away only 39 days after lifting the Reds’ 20th league title, his death left a mark on all those who knew him personally, as well as those who didn’t.
Among his closest friends at Liverpool was Mac Allister, and writing in The Players’ Tribune, the Argentine spoke of why Liverpool’s Premier League success last season now means so much to him, before paying tribute to Jota and his brother.
He began: “The World Cup, it almost doesn’t feel real, to this day. It all happened too fast. It was a beautiful dream that I still haven’t woken up from.
KARLSRUHE, GERMANY - Wednesday, July 19, 2023: Liverpool substitutes Diogo Jota, Alexis Mac Allister and Joe Gomez on the bench before a pre-season friendly match between Karlsruher SC and Liverpool FC at the Wildparkstadion. Liverpool won 4-2. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“But this Premier League title and this Liverpool team, it was so real.
“When the final whistle blew against Spurs, I dropped to my knees and I just started crying. It was like something hit me in the chest. I think it’s because we had a genuine brotherhood, which is very rare in football.
“After the tragedy of this summer and the emotion of finding out I was going to be a father, all of this has taken on a much deeper meaning for me.
“‘Oh, it’s just football’.
“How can we say that ever again?”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Sunday, May 25, 2025: Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister with the trophy, as the team celebrate becoming Champions for the 20th time, after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Part of what makes football so special, Liverpool in particular, is the relationships and bonds we form around the game.
Football isn’t a phenomenon because of its tactical systems and fitness advancements; football is worldwide because of the emotions it can conjure.
Mac Allister summed that up perfectly, saying: “No, it’s not just football.
“This is not just a club. It’s our family. It’s our memories, our legacy and we have to cherish it, because we don’t know how long it will last.
“That’s why life is best when you slow down and start appreciating everything you have. And I really appreciate everything I have.
“In the end, football is just like life itself. It’s so unpredictable.”
“I want to dedicate this paragraph to Diogo”
LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, October 5, 2024: Liverpool's Diogo Jota celebrates after scoring the first goal during the FA Premier League match between Crystal Palace FC and Liverpool FC at Selhurst Park. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Mac Allister went on to pay tribute to his friend, writing: “There’s one in the group who will hold a special place in our hearts forever.
“Obviously, and with great emotion, I want to dedicate this paragraph to Diogo. I still can’t understand how he left us so early. I always had a good relationship with him, but this past year even more so.
“He was always a very down-to-earth, family-oriented person, and never tried to pretend to be something he wasn’t.
“One day he would come and give you the hug of a lifetime, and the next day he wouldn’t even say hello, hahaha.
A banner in tribute of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota against Crystal Palace at Wembley. August 10, 2025 (Adam Davy/PA)
“We loved to ‘take the piss’, and we always found a way, whether it was our Messi vs. Cristiano arguments, or just playing cards. It was part of the game. I will always choose to remember him with a smile.
“And I know that with that smile, he’ll be supporting us from above. If you don’t believe that, then just look at the minute Frimpong scored in the Community Shield. The 20th.
“These are signs.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to send my warmest regards to his family, whom we must never forget, as they are the ones who are suffering the most from the tragic passing of him and his brother Andre.
“My respect and love to all of them.”