superteeded Liverpool manager Arne Slot has paid tribute to star striker Diogo Jota after the death of his team’s star striker. superteeded

Slot and Jota worked together for a season last term, winning the Premier League title together, before the shock news broke when the Portugal international died suddenly in a car accident in Spain in the early hours of Thursday, June 3. 

“What are the right words to say at this moment? Who can say anything when the shock and pain are still ongoing? I wish I had words, but I know I don’t,” Slot said. 

“What I have is a feeling that I believe many people must have felt the same way about this person, the player we love with all our hearts and the family we care about so much.

“My first thoughts are not as a football manager, but as a father, son, brother and uncle who are part of the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have to face this unimaginable loss.

“My message to them is clear: ‘You will never walk alone.’ The players, staff and fans at Liverpool are all there for you and, from what I saw today, the wider football family is the same.

“This is not just a response to a tragedy, but also a demonstration of the goodness of the people involved and the respect that many have for these children as individuals and as a family as a whole.

For us as a club, the shock is overwhelming. Diogo is not just our player, he is someone we all love. He is a team-mate, a colleague and in every role he is something special.

“I can talk a lot about what he brings to our team but the truth is, anyone who has watched Diogo play can relate to that. The work ethic, the commitment, the high quality, the goals, the essence of a Liverpool player.

“There are many things that ordinary people have never seen. He never sought fame, but naturally received it. Not just two friends, but friends of everyone. A person who makes others feel good just by being around him. A person who loves his family with all his heart.

“The last time we spoke, I congratulated Diogo on winning the Nations League and wished him the best for his upcoming wedding. For him and his family, it was the perfect summer dream, but it ended so heartbreakingly. 

“When I first joined the club, one of the first songs I knew was a Liverpool fan’s song for Diogo. I had never worked with him before, but I knew straight away that if Liverpool fans who have seen so many great players still have a special song for him, then he must have something special.

“Losing him in such a terrible situation is something we still cannot accept, so we have to stay united and stand by each other. We have to do this for Diogo and Andre Silva, their families and ourselves.

“I would like to express my deepest condolences to Diogo’s wife, Rute, their three children and the parents of Diogo and Andre Silva.

“When the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and we will sing his songs. But for now, we will remember him as someone special and mourn his passing. He will never be forgotten.

superteeded “His name is Diogo.” ( superteeded )