In the minutes before Sunday’s friendly against Preston North End, Liverpool paid an emotional tribute to brothers Diogo Jota and André Silva, who passed away on July 3 in a car accident near Zamora, in northern Spain.
It was the first match for the “Reds” since the tragic incident, in which Diogo Jota was traveling by car to the city of Santander to then take a ferry to the English port of Portsmouth, as due to a recent lung surgery, the Portuguese international could not travel by plane.
How was the tribute to Diogo Jota?
Claudia Rose Maguire, wife of former Preston footballer Sean Maguire, performed the songs “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a true anthem of Liverpool, and also the song “Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” before the start of the game.
In turn, Preston’s captain, Ben Whiteman, placed a wreath of flowers in front of the visiting fans, with the Bill Shankly Stand full of banners and scarves with the name of Diogo Jota.
Shankly, one of the most famous coaches in Liverpool’s history, played for Preston North End.
There were doubts about the dispute of this match, as several Liverpool players attended the funeral of the brothers in Gondomar, Portugal, on July 4th, and had extra holidays before returning to preseason training.
But the event at Deepdale Stadium ultimately became an opportunity to honor the memory of the deceased. Mohamed Salah captained a young Liverpool team that won thanks to goals from Conor Bradley, Darwin Núñez, and Cody Gakpo.
Article about Diogo Jota: he was a champion in everything
Liverpool FC coach Arne Slot said that Diogo Jota “was a champion in everything” and that’s why they will have the Portuguese footballer in their “thoughts” and “hearts”.
“We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go,” Slot declared to the website of Liverpool. “Retiring his jersey is the only thing we could, should, and have done,” he added.
“I think what comforts me is that in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything. A champion for his family, which is the main thing and the most important, because he got married,” Slot emphasized about a Jota who lost his life at 28 years old in the company of his brother André Silva, 25.
“He was a champion for his country because he won the Nations League, a country he cared so much about because he also carried the flag during our celebrations. And, of course, a champion for us by winning the Premier League,” summarized the Dutch coach.