“I wish there were words.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot is known as the 28-year-old “Special” in honor of Diogo Jota following the tragic death of the Portuguese forward.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva, 26, were killed in a car accident in the northwest Spain province of Zamora around midnight on Wednesday.
Their cars came out of the road and set fire to the fire following a blow-off of the tires. Emergency services were unable to save them after they arrived on the scene.
Jota leaves behind his wife Root and three young children, who married him last month.
The Liverpool Football Club is devastated by the tragic passage of Diogojota.
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 3, 2025
Slots, who was in charge at Anfield in the summer of 2024, managed Jota for the season as Liverpool won the Premier League title with fashion highlighted last semester.
“I wish there were words, but I know it’s not,” Slot said in a statement.
“My first thought is not the idea of a football manager. They belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva, who have experienced such unimaginable losses.
“My message to them is very clear. You never walk alone. The players, staff and supporters of the Liverpool Football Club are all with you, and from what we saw today, the same can be said about the football family.
“For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo wasn’t just our players. He was loved by all of us. He was a teammate, colleague, and peer, and was very special in all of those roles.”
Arne Slot Statement:
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 3, 2025
The words of the Liverpool boss come after emotional respect is poured in. “Not only is he a great player, he’s also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father,” said “he was a “good” Liverpool head coach who brought Jota to the wolf club in 2020.
Jota’s Portuguese teammate Cristiano Ronaldo said in a social media post that “we all miss you,” and fans gathered at Anfield to pay homage to him.
The flag of Liverpool City Hall was hanged to the half mast as a mark in honor of Jota and his brothers.
Slot praised Jota’s work ethic, humility and quality as “the essence of what Liverpool players should be.”
He said:
“Not two friends, not everyone’s friends. Someone who felt better about himself just by having others with him. Someone who cared deeply for his family.”
The Dutch coach revealed that the last time he told Jota was to congratulate him on his victory in Portugal’s Nations League in June and wish him good luck for his wedding.
“In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family.
“When I first came to the club, one of the first songs I learned was a song that our fans sang for Diogo. I hadn’t worked with him before, but I knew that if the Liverpool supporters who have seen so many great players over the years had a very unique chant for Diogo, he had to have special qualities.
“It is something we have not yet agreed to that we have lost those qualities in such a horrific situation.
“For this reason, we need everyone in the club to stand together and be there for each other, which we owe to Diogo, Andre Silva, their wider family and ourselves.
“My opinion of the pacific dol goes to Diogo’s wife, Root, three beautiful children, the parents of Diogo and Andre Silva.
“When the time comes, I will celebrate Diogo Jota, remember his goals and sing his songs.
“His name is Diogo.”