Liverpool to pay tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who died in a car crash last month.
Anfield will be wrapped in emotion on Friday night as Liverpool begin their Premier League title defence against Bournemouth. It will be the club’s first league match since the tragic passing of Diogo Jota, 28, who died alongside his brother André Silva, 25, in a car accident in northern Spain last month.
The Premier League has confirmed a moment of silence at all fixtures this weekend, with players wearing black armbands. At Anfield, the tribute will be personal — a fan-led mosaic in the Kop and the Sir Kenny Dalglish Stand will rise during the silence, spelling out the love and respect that Jota inspired.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot confirmed that Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, his children, and family members will be present. “We know this will be a very emotional occasion,” Slot wrote in his programme notes. “We will come together to honour Diogo and André once more… and to show that their family will always have our love and support.”
Jota’s number 20 shirt — worn during Liverpool’s record-equalling 20th English league title triumph last season — will not be worn again. After consultation with his family, the club has retired the shirt for the season, adding a “Forever 20” emblem to players’ kits and jackets as a permanent mark of remembrance.
The tributes won’t stop at Merseyside. Wolves, Jota’s former Premier League club, will also honour him during their opening match against Manchester City on Saturday, ensuring that the football world remembers a player whose talent, humility, and spirit left a lasting mark.
