Liverpool to 'immortalise' Diogo Jota's jersey No.20 following his tragic death
Liverpool will "immortalise' Diogo Jota's jersey No.20 following his tragic death in a car accident in Spain.
The tributes continue to pour in for 28-year-old Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who died on Thursday following a car accident in Spain. The Liverpool star and his brother Andre Silva, 25, died in the accident after their Lamborghini "left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking", according to Spain's Guardia Civil. The Premier League 2024-25 champions, Liverpool, have now announced that they will be "immortalising" Jota's jersey No.20 in his memory.
"The No.20 will be rightly immortalised for his contributions as part of Liverpool’s 2024-25 title-winners – the club’s 20th – with his trademark shimmy and strike in front of the Kop to seal victory in April’s Merseyside derby a poignant last goal of his life," Liverpool said in an official statement.
Liverpool have never retired a jersey number in tribute to a player. However, fans continue to demand that the club make an exception for the talented and gifted striker.
Jota, who was born in Porto, started his professional career with Paços de Ferreira’s youth setup before moving to La Liga club Atlético Madrid in 2016.
After being acquired by Porto on loan, he spent some time there before being transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. In 2020, Jota joined Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, and it was there that he found most of his success.
With Liverpool, he won the FA Cup and League Cup under Jurgen Klopp and the Premier League under Arne Slot in the 2024-25 season. He was also part of Portugal's squad that won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
What did Arne Slot say about Jota's death?
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he could not imagine the pain of the Jota family as he paid tribute to the 28-year-old forward, who was one of the major reasons behind the club's recent success.
"My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle, and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva, who have experienced such an unimaginable loss," he said.
"For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special," he added.
Diogo Jota has made 182 appearances for Liverpool since joining the club in 2020. He scored 65 goals, and most of his strikes came when the Reds needed it the most. He had the knack of standing tall under pressure.
