Liverpool boss Arne Slot has paid a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota, insisting the club will “always carry him with us” after deciding to retire his No. 20 shirt following the forward’s tragic death at the age of 28.
Jota died in a car crash along with his brother Andre in Portugal last week, prompting an outpouring of grief across the football world.
Liverpool described the loss as “devastating” and said the decision to retire his shirt number was made in recognition of the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues, and supporters, as well as the lasting bonds he created with them.
Slot said: “We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go. Maybe especially in difficult moments.
“But in any moment we are here, we will carry him with us in our thoughts and in our hearts. To retire his shirt is the one thing we could, should and have done.”
“Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened,” he added.
“It’s very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate. Can we train again? Can we laugh again? And I’ve said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was.
“And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself, it didn’t matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well.”
The Dutchman concluded: “I’ve only worked with him for a season and in that season he has been so important for me, for the club, for the fans, for his teammates in difficult moments.
“So, I can come up with the Everton goal, I can come up with some other goals – Fulham when we were down to 10.
“Even the last game we played against Crystal Palace when we were down to 10 and 1-0 down, he came in and took the ball in our own half, led to us scoring the 1-1. That is the football player that is in my mind.
“But I think what I take comfort in [is that] in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything.
“A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married.
“A champion for his country because he won the Nations League, [with] a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League.
“Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened. But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not.
“What I’ve said to the players, I can say it here as well. It’s very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate. What is appropriate in our actions?
‘What is appropriate [for] what we have to say? Can we train again? Can we laugh again?
“Can we be angry if there’s a wrong decision? And I’ve said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was.
“And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself, it didn’t matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself. So let us try to be ourselves as well.
“So, if we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we’re going to cry. If they want to train they can train, if they don’t want to train they can not train.
“But be yourself, don’t think you have to be different than your emotions tell you.”
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