emirates7 - Liverpool Football Club has announced it will retire Diogo Jota’s number 20 shirt in tribute to the Portugal forward, who tragically lost his life alongside his brother, Andre Silva, in a car accident earlier this month.
The club confirmed the decision on Friday, stating that the number 20 shirt would be permanently retired across all teams, including LFC Women and the Academy, after discussions with Jota’s wife, Rute, and his family.
“This is, to our knowledge, the first time in Liverpool FC’s history that such an honour has been granted to a player,” said the club’s CEO, Michael Edwards. “It is a truly unique gesture for an individual who was equally exceptional.”
Liverpool will play their first match since the July 3rd tragedy on Sunday, in a pre-season friendly against English Championship side Preston.
Ahead of the 1400 GMT kick-off, the stadium will pay tribute with a performance of Liverpool’s iconic anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Preston will also lay a wreath in front of the away fans. A minute’s silence will follow, with tributes shown on the stadium’s big screens and pitchside displays. Players from both sides will wear black armbands in memory of Jota.
Jota, a father of three, had married his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, just 11 days before the crash. He and his brother died when the Lamborghini they were in veered off the road and caught fire in northern Spain.
Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, along with club captain Virgil van Dijk and several teammates, attended Jota’s funeral last Saturday.
The club confirmed the decision on Friday, stating that the number 20 shirt would be permanently retired across all teams, including LFC Women and the Academy, after discussions with Jota’s wife, Rute, and his family.
“This is, to our knowledge, the first time in Liverpool FC’s history that such an honour has been granted to a player,” said the club’s CEO, Michael Edwards. “It is a truly unique gesture for an individual who was equally exceptional.”
Liverpool will play their first match since the July 3rd tragedy on Sunday, in a pre-season friendly against English Championship side Preston.
Ahead of the 1400 GMT kick-off, the stadium will pay tribute with a performance of Liverpool’s iconic anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Preston will also lay a wreath in front of the away fans. A minute’s silence will follow, with tributes shown on the stadium’s big screens and pitchside displays. Players from both sides will wear black armbands in memory of Jota.
Jota, a father of three, had married his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, just 11 days before the crash. He and his brother died when the Lamborghini they were in veered off the road and caught fire in northern Spain.
Liverpool’s manager, Arne Slot, along with club captain Virgil van Dijk and several teammates, attended Jota’s funeral last Saturday.