Jota was a player of Liverpool
On September 19, 2020, Liverpool welcomed Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva, better known simply as Diogo Jota, from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Fans hoped he would add depth and flair to an already fearsome frontline of Salah, Firmino, and Mane.
However, what they got was much more: brilliance, tenacity and joy. He scored memorable goals, helped win the Premier League, the FA Cup, and other trophies.
Jota became Liverpool’s silent assassin, sharp movement, tireless pressing, and goals in the biggest of games. In five years, he scored 65 goals in 182 appearances, carving himself into Anfield’s folklore.
Fast-forward: On 2 April 2025, Jota scored his final goal for Liverpool in a Merseyside Derby win over Everton.
The roar around Anfield, the relief, the joy, it felt like a signal that more magic was to come. No one could have guessed that it truly was his last.
Just three months later, in the early hours of July 3, 2025, tragedy struck. Jota, aged 28, was driving from Portugal toward Santander to catch a ferry back to England, having been advised not to fly following a minor lung surgery.
Liverpool star Diogo Jota dies in car crash at 28, two weeks after wedding
He was accompanied by his younger brother, Andre Silva, 25. Their car, a Lamborghini Huracan, suffered a tyre burst while overtaking on Spain’s A-52 motorway near Cernadilla, Zamora.
The vehicle lost control, left the road, and caught fire. Both brothers died at the scene.
The shock was immediate. Jota had married long-time partner Rute Cardoso just days earlier, on June 22, 2025.
He left behind three young children. Liverpool, teammates, rivals, and fans across the world were united in grief.
In his honour, Liverpool retired the number 20 shirt across all levels of the club, the first time in their history.
And now, football’s cruel poetry lingers. Exactly five years on from the day Jota signed, Liverpool will welcome Everton back to Anfield.
It’s the same opponent he netted his final goal against. The Kop will be awash with red scarves, his name echoing in the chants, as the atmosphere blends the intensity of a derby with the solemnity of a memorial.
For many, this will feel like Jota’s match as much as Liverpool’s, a moment to honour not just the player he was, but the man taken far too soon.
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