Liverpool’s players are braced for an emotional Anfield homecoming on Monday as they return to their home ground for the first time since the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva.
Jota was just 28 and on his way to catch a ferry back to Liverpool when he was involved in a fatal car accident on July 3. Liverpool and the wider footballing community have mourned this gaping loss during a time of the year spent away from their spiritual home.
Arne Slot’s Premier League champions return to Anfield for a pre-season double-header against Athletic Club. “We will honour Diogo today, and in the future also,” Virgil van Dijk wrote in his pre-match programme notes. “He will always be with us.”
The club captain acknowledged the grief felt by all those even loosely associated with Jota while also pointing out: “I always come back to the fact that we have to look after Diogo’s family, his parents, and that’s the main thing. You think about so many different things, and it’s difficult to process. You can’t imagine the pain, the feeling that they have. That’s why we try to be there as much as we can, and for each other as well.”
Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly of the summer was away to Preston North End just 10 days after Jota passed away. It was less an exhibition match and more of a communal healing exercise played to the soundtrack of the Portuguese forward’s beloved chant.
“It was emotional, and we could have played that song for 10 more days,” Cody Gakpo told The Athletic this week. “It was beautiful and it showed once again the great character of our fanbase, and we appreciate that for sure.”
“Obviously, he was an outstanding player, but he as a person was even more wonderful,” Gakpo continued. “He was good with everyone. Everyone loved him, and that is also what you saw with how everyone reacted.
“So yeah, it’s more that we want to remember who he was to us. Not as a player, because the player we can see on the highlights on YouTube, but more as the person he was. He will be missed this season, but he will also be missed by everyone in this team and in this club, and by his family, for the rest of our lives. We will not forget him.”
Manager Slot has covered this difficult topic admirably throughout. After echoing the sentiment of Van Dijk and Gakpo, he turned the spotlight back on his squad. “I want to mention the strength and the courage of my players here, too,” the Dutch boss told Liverpool’s website.
“They have found themselves in one of the toughest positions imaginable, but the way they have come together and the way they have conducted themselves, on and off the pitch, is a credit to them and to this football club. We really couldn’t have asked more of the boys, and I am extremely proud of them all.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Never Forget’—Liverpool Stars Pay Tribute to Diogo Jota Ahead of Emotional Anfield Return.