Anfield was filled with emotion as Liverpool and Wolves paid heartfelt tributes to Diogo Jota, whose widow and children were also present. Former Liverpool star Jota tragically lost his life in a car accident with his brother Andre Silva in Spain in July.
The 28-year-old Portuguese spent three seasons with Wolves before spending the last five years of his life playing for Liverpool, playing a key role in Wolves’ promotion to the Premier League and qualification for Europe. Both clubs were saddened by his untimely death, with tributes pouring in at each stadium throughout the season. Saturday was the first meeting between the two teams since Jota’s death.
Jota’s wife, Lute Cardoso, married him two weeks before his death. I watched from the stands at Anfield. Their sons, Dinis and Duarte, accompanied the players on the pitch as mascots, and an emotional rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” echoed from the stands.
The family had previously attended Liverpool’s season opener at home to Bournemouth and Wolves’ match against Manchester City at Molineux in August. During a minute’s silence, two mosaics with the words “DJ 20” and “AS 30” written on them were unveiled on two stands.
A banner on the Kop read: “Lute, Dinis, Duarte, Mafalda, Anfield will always be your home.”
Mafalda is Jota’s one year old daughter.
Roote attended Wolves’ opening game against Manchester City at Molineux, standing next to the tearful parents of Jota and long-time teammate Ruben Neves.
The entire Wolves squad made an emotional visit to Anfield on Boxing Day to pay their respects at Jota’s memorial outside the stadium, with interim executive chairman Nathan See, head coach Rob Edwards and goalkeeper Jose Sa laying flowers.
Liverpool supporters regularly sing Jota chants in the 20th minute of each match, reflecting his retired shirt number as a tribute to the forward.
Head coach Arne Slott looked back on a turbulent year at Liverpool in his program notes and expressed his thoughts towards Jota’s family: “In doing so, we will remember Diogo Jota’s family, especially on this first Christmas without Diogo Jota,” he wrote.
“Although it is not my place to tell them where to seek solace, if that is possible, I can only hope that the feelings of love and affection that Diogo is still generating will bring them some comfort.
“Saturday’s loss will be particularly strong as it will be the first time Diogo’s two English sides have played each other since Diogo’s tragic death. Like us, Wolves have clearly been deeply affected by the loss of such a special player and person and my thoughts remain with them.”
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk wrote in a memo: “The loss of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in July was something none of us could ever have prepared for and is something we are all still coming to terms with. Our thoughts, as always, are with Diogo and Andre’s families. They will never be forgotten and we will always carry their memories.”
