Diogo Jota. Small. Brave. Gone.
When it was time to kick off the Arne Slot era, he was there. When Liverpool’s title charge threatened to be halted by Everton’s resolute and stubborn defending, he was there. When Cristiano Ronaldo missed his penalty during a qualifier for Euro 2024 and consoling was needed, he was there.
And whenever there was charity work or initiatives to take stand for, both for club and country, he was of course there. He didn’t just buy into it, he got it. He loved it and he lived it. Then, within seconds, he was no longer there.
Such is the frailty of a footballer’s career, we often forget that life itself is even more delicate. And for the majority of us, who don’t make it as professional footballers, we often associate those who do crack it, with being larger than life. Exempt from mortality.
Image Source: Liverpool Echo
Image Source: Daily Mail
When reports broke on the morning of 3 July 2025, that Diogo Jota and his brother had passed away in a car accident in Spain, the world tethered on silence. When the news was confirmed, it shattered all our thinking and beliefs. Gasps, shrieks, wailing- none of them could convey what was being felt. How does this happen? How could it happen? Footballers are gods. They reach insurmountable heights; they do things we can only dream of in our dreams.
Jota started learning about football on the dirt pitches of Gondomor in the Porto municipality of Portugal where he his technical skill and intelligence coupled with his movement and eye for goal made him stand out. As his young career progressed, he was often overlooked by clubs because of his physical frailties. Yet it was his talent that won everyone over. He was even diagnosed with a heart condition in his youth, which he overcame due to his resilience and dedication to his craft.
After a move to Paços de Ferreira, he excelled in the first team which resulted in him catching the eyes of many teams across Europe. He eventually joined the youth setup at Atlético Madrid, but never managed a first team appearance. He moved to Porto on loan and, under Nuno Espírito Santo, he consistently put in stellar performances. Both him and Nuno then made the move across to England where Wolverhampton Wanderers became their new home.
Soon, Jota’s talent could no longer be contained. Liverpool’s famous data team under FSG noticed that the forward’s pressing stats in the final third were immense, ranking amongst the highest in the Premier League. This, coupled with the fact that his heat map showed that he could play across either wing or as a main striker, meant he was perfect to add to the Jurgen Klopp gegenpressing army.
It was a match made in red heaven. Liverpool didn’t lose a single game Premier League game in which he scored. In the 51 games he netted, the Reds won 43 and drew 8. The gravitas of his presence in the box, was also cemented in that he was the Liverpool forward who received the most passes from fullbacks Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold thanks to his smart movement. This was also replicated at national level, with his impressive chemistry with Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes.
Jota made some big moments count- he scored a hat-trick on his Champions League debut against Atalanta, and was responsible for netting Liverpool’s 10 000th goal in competitive history in the 2-0 win over Midtyjlland in 2020. Shortly before his passing, he lifted both the English Premier League and UEFA Nations League. He was still elite. 28 and with many football years yet to come.
Image Source: UEFA Champions League on X
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Image Source: Instagram
But he was more than just a gifted striker. As manager Arne Slot so eloquently and aptly put it, he was “the person who never sought popularity, but found it anyway.” So much so that in January 2022, fans voted Jota’s song “Better Than Figo” as one of their best chants. All the tune of The Archies’ Sugar, Sugar:
"Oh, he wears the number 20,
He will take us to victory,
And when he’s running down the left wing,
He’ll cut inside and score for LFC.
He’s a lad from Portugal,
Better than Figo don’t you know,
Oh, his name is Diogo!"
The war of football ceased for a bit, as rivals laid down their caskets and picked up their wreaths. Adorned in compassion and universal dismay, they came forth on social media, at vigils and the funeral itself. From the blue half of Merseyside to the bitterest of enemies in Manchester, they all paid tribute to a fine young man and mourned with their opposition. There are more weighty matters than 3 points, bitter chanting and hatred heritage. There is also the business of being human. And remembering that athletes are more than just commodities.
Their bodies are as brittles as ours, in spite of returning from injury time and time again. There is no return from losing control of your supercar after the tyre bursts.
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Image Source: This is Anfield
Image Source: Stuff
Jota’s brother Andre Silva, who was also a professional footballer, was in the Lamborghini as well, as two souls bid farewell in the early hours of the morning. There are many questions being raised around the Huracán EVO which Jota owned. Whilst it is the most successful V10 powered car from Lamborghini, it has also been subject to many safety recalls over the years due to issues such as non-complaint headlamp assemblies and seat-belt warning systems.
As this high-profile death gains traction in the media, further scrutiny is being placed on the current pyrotechnic door-ejection system and whether it should have blown off sooner during the accident. The high-performance tyres themselves are being looked at, specifically the feasibility of them being used on an uneven or poorly maintained road. This is not to say that Jota and others who speed are blameless. But for all the money modern footballers earn, and for all the cash they give to super-brands like Lamborghini, how protected are they but what they are receiving? How expensive is it, if it costs your life? And how do you tell Jota's young family that he leaves behind, that our vehicle may have failed your loved ones in their time of need?
Image Source: Sky News
And what of Liverpool, a club accustomed to tragedy? From Heysel to Hillsborough. From ending a 30-year title drought but being robbed of celebrating in front of your fans, to finally being allowed to celebrate the Premier League in front of your people...only for it to be overshadowed by a selfish and foolish individual whose car ran over innocent fans at the parade. Now, the loss of one of their own. How badly will this affect the current crop of players? Will they be able to band together to use their brother’s passing as the strongest of motivations to go again? Or will they (understandably) cave under the weight of loss? No one is exempt from mortality.
The final word goes to Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, who changed his name to Jota in his youth career, to avoid the common name of Silva in Portugal. A man wishing to stand out. His love affair for Liverpool and life in general could be summed up in an interview he did with LFC TV a few months ago, when asked what the club means to him. “For me it means everything, to be honest. It changed my life completely. My three kids were born here, I have a house here. I will always remember in the future, even I don’t live here, this city, this club, the way everybody supported me from the very first day in the club, the fans.”
He may no longer live here but he resides in hearts all over the world. Taking capacity in our memories and our sombre realisation that life is a thin highline suspended in the air before us. Some days we walk it, warily; other times we forget it can snap at any moment. And sometimes we hold it tightly, hoping it never disappears. Walk on. Walk on. With hope in your heart.
Anything less is a tragic waste.