Liverpool showed off their class following Diogo Jota’s tragic death by promising to pay his family the remainder of his contract. Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a devastating car accident on July 3 this year, just 11 days after Jota’s wedding. Jota’s family was left devastated after two soccer players were involved in an accident in Spain’s Zamora province.
It later emerged that Diogo was driving the pair to the port of Santander for pre-season training on Merseyside when his Lamborghini Huracan suffered a fatal accident when a tire went flat while overtaking another car. Jota, who would have celebrated his 29th birthday today (Thursday), joined Liverpool from Wolves in 2020 and quickly became a fan favorite. He still had two years left on his £140,000-a-week contract when tragedy struck, leaving behind his wife Lute Cardoso and three young children.
Following his untimely death, tributes poured in recognizing his contribution and importance to the club. But Liverpool went beyond simple condolences and promised to pay the remainder of his contract to his family.
This important stance was underlined by manager Arne Slott, who admitted that it is not standard practice for clubs to make such promises, even in such sad circumstances.
“I talked about how proud I was of the fan response and the ownership,” Arne Slott told TNT Sports in September. “The owner is mainly criticized, as is the manager, but the way he handled the situation by paying his wife and children his full contract… People may think that’s normal, but that’s not the case in football.”
Liverpool’s ownership group, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), has won widespread praise for its shrewd business acumen throughout its tenure on Merseyside. But what is truly admirable is the compassion shown through this heartfelt act.
Jota scored 65 goals and provided 26 assists in 182 games during his five-year spell at Liverpool. He helped the Reds win the Premier League in the months before his death, and played a key role in winning the FA Cup and EFL Cup in 2022.
As a lasting tribute to his influence at Anfield, Liverpool permanently stripped him of his number 20 shirt in July. This honor spans all levels of the men’s senior team, women’s team and academy.
Jota and his brother Andre were buried in their hometown of Gondomar in July. A Liverpool delegation led by captain Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson, one of Diogo’s closest footballing friends, paid their respects.
Mr Robertson had attended Jota’s wedding celebrations days before his sudden death. The Scottish defender has penned a heartfelt message to pay tribute to his late friend after confirming the tragic news.
“My thoughts right now are with my family. Their loss is too much to bear. I am so sorry for the loss of two precious souls in Diogo and Andre,” Robertson said. “For the sake of the team and the club, we will work together to try to address this issue… however long it takes.
“For me, I want to talk about Mate, mate. He was a guy I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk for hours about him as a player, but I don’t think any of that matters right now. It’s the guy. That’s the guy. He was a very good guy. He’s the best. Very real. Just normal and real.”
“He was full of love for the people he cared about. He was such a fun guy. He was the most English-looking foreign player I’ve ever met. We often joked that he was really Irish…I tried to pass him off as Scottish. , of course. I used to call him Diogo Macjota. We used to watch darts together and enjoy horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was one of the best we’ve had.
