Liverpool will honour Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva during their friendly against Preston. Tributes will include a minute's silence, black armbands, and a special matchday program.
Liverpool will pay tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva during their pre-season friendly against Preston North End on Sunday. The match, scheduled to kick off at 2:40 pm, will begin with a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the away stand.
Players from both teams will wear black armbands, and a minute's silence will be observed in honor of Jota and Silva. Digital tributes will also be displayed on screens around the pitch. Preston has created a commemorative edition of the matchday program, featuring tributes to both men.
Tragic accident
This tribute comes after Jota's tragic death in a car accident on the A-52 motorway in Zamora, northern Spain. The 28-year-old and his 25-year-old brother were killed when a tire on their car burst as they were overtaking.
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Liverpool players, including Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Darwin Nunez, attended Jota's funeral in his hometown of Gondomar, Portugal. Other teammates, such as Luis Diaz and Alisson Becker, attended a Requiem Mass for Jota and Silva.
Emotional farewells
Andy Robertson, Liverpool's Scotland midfielder, penned an emotional tribute to Jota on social media, describing him as "a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real." Robertson had attended Jota's wedding just days before the accident, where Jota married his childhood sweetheart and mother of his three young children, Rute Cardosa.
Robertson also shared fond memories of Jota, including their times watching darts and horse racing together. He even jokingly referred to Jota as "Diogo MacJota."
'For the team and the Club, we’ll try to cope with this together… however long that takes,' he wrote on Instagram. 'For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy. I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now", he added.
The club is also considering longer-term tributes, including potentially retiring Jota's number 20 shirt. Hundreds of fans have been visiting Anfield to lay flowers, scarves, and mementos in Jota's honor. A mural in memory of the striker has also been created near the ground, featuring messages from supporters.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot and his wife Mirjam visited the memorial on Tuesday, where Slot laid flowers with a poignant message: "Diogo, we had the same dream and we fulfilled it together. Andre and yourself will forever be in our hearts."