Today marks one year since the tragic death of Portuguese international Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, with both the Portugal national team and Liverpool FC offering heartfelt tributes to the beloved footballer.
Jota, 28, died on July 3, 2025, in a car crash in Spain, just 11 days after marrying his long-term partner Rute Cardoso. He was returning to Liverpool for pre-season training, making the journey by car and ferry on medical advice following minor surgery. The accident, which also claimed his brother Andre, occurred when his Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle.
Emotional scenes at the World Cup
The anniversary was particularly poignant during Portugal’s World Cup match against Croatia in Toronto. As the national anthem played, an image of Jota flashed on the big screen, prompting visible emotion from teammates, most notably Cristiano Ronaldo, who had played alongside Jota 32 times for Portugal. Before the match, Portugal manager Roberto Martinez had named Jota as an honorary ‘plus-one’ player when announcing his squad in May, a gesture underscoring his enduring presence within the team.
Martinez articulated the squad’s collective sentiment, stating: “Diogo is our sun and our light. We want to win the World Cup for him.”
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Following Portugal’s 2-1 victory over Croatia, the squad gathered to pay a powerful tribute. Cristiano Ronaldo donned a special ’21’ shirt in Jota’s memory, holding it aloft as the team stood united, a moment captured by BBC Sport. The deep bond within the squad was further highlighted by Ruben Neves, who has a tattoo on his left calf depicting him hugging Jota in his Portugal ’21’ shirt. Neves also revealed a deeply personal way he keeps Jota’s memory alive, telling Portuguese TV show Alta Definição:
“I still talk to him. Few people know this. We have a WhatsApp group with Rute and Diogo, and it’s still there, and we continue to talk there. Whenever something special happens, I have the conversations archived on my WhatsApp so I can continue to send him messages.”
Anfield’s lasting memorial
Meanwhile, Liverpool FC unveiled a new permanent memorial at Anfield yesterday, dedicated to both Diogo Jota and Andre Silva. Named ‘Forever 20’, the monument, designed by sculptor Emma Rodgers, celebrates their lives, their bond, and the profound love and respect felt by their family, teammates, and supporters, as reported by Liverpool FC.
The memorial, situated on 97 Avenue at Anfield, features a flowing heart sculpture at its centre, a nod to Diogo’s iconic goal celebration. Cleverly designed, the sculpture reveals the numbers ’20’ and ’30’ – the brothers’ respective shirt numbers – when viewed from different angles. It also incorporates lyrics from Jota’s famous song, a beloved anthem among Liverpool fans.
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Jota’s career path was distinctive, rising from his hometown club Gondomar through Pacos de Ferreira, Porto, Wolverhampton, and finally to Liverpool, where he won the Premier League title just two months before his death. His journey was a rare case of an elite Portuguese footballer achieving stardom without passing through any of the country’s “big three” academies (Benfica, Sporting, or Porto), making his legacy all the more inspiring.
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