breaking: Football World Mourns the Sudden Passing of Diogo Jota and andré Silva
The football community is reeling from the tragic loss of Liverpool forward Diogo jota, age 27, and former Porto midfielder André Silva, age 29, who died in a car accident on June 25, 2024, near Vila nova de Gaia, Portugal. The news has prompted an outpouring of grief from players, clubs, and fans worldwide.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a former teammate of both players with the Portuguese national team, expressed his shock and sorrow on social media. “It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the national team, just now you had gotten married,” Ronaldo wrote in a post on Instagram. “To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you.”
jota, who joined Liverpool in September 2020 from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a reported £45 million, quickly became a fan favorite at Anfield. He scored 59 goals in 155 appearances for the club, contributing to Liverpool’s Premier league title win in 2022, FA Cup victory in 2022, and League Cup triumph in 2024. Silva, who played for Porto from 2017 to 2019 before moving to Eintracht Frankfurt and later to RB leipzig, earned 32 caps for Portugal, scoring 11 goals.
Tributes poured in during the FIFA Club World Cup held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this summer. Players, including Trent Alexander-Arnold, honored Jota by recreating his signature video game-inspired goal celebration and displaying his No. 20 shirt. In a permanent gesture of remembrance, Liverpool Football club has officially retired Jota’s No. 20 shirt, ensuring it will not be worn by another player in future seasons. The decision was made following consultation with jota’s family.
