Liverpool and Preston pay tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva ahead of friendly clash

Liverpool and Preston paid tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in an emotional ceremony ahead of their pre-season friendly on Sunday.

Jota and Andre, also a professional footballer, died in a car accident on 3 July in Zamora, Spain.

The Reds’ first pre-season fixture, held at Preston, was filled with poignant moments to honour the brothers. The stadium was moved by heartfelt performances of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love and the iconic You’ll Never Walk Alone, Liverpool’s anthem.

As the latter echoed around the ground, Preston captain Ben Whiteman, visibly overcome with emotion, placed a wreath in front of the section housing Liverpool’s away supporters.

Fans in the away end paid their respects with flags, scarves, and banners remembering the former Wolves and Porto attacker.

They sang Jota’s chant as players emerged from the tunnel. A minute’s silence followed.

In the 20th minute – a nod to Jota’s shirt number – the crowd once again erupted into song in his memory.

An impeccably observed period of silence to remember Diogo Jota and Andre Silva ❤️ pic.twitter.com/noeE4t21DE

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 13, 2025

The matchday programme featured a black-and-white image of Jota lifting the Premier League trophy, surrounded by messages honouring him and his brother.

In a touching gesture, Liverpool announced on Friday at precisely 20:20 BST that Jota’s No.20 shirt would be permanently retired throughout the club.

Speaking to Liverpool TV for the first time since the tragedy, head coach Arne Slot offered his thoughts on how the club is coping: “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.

“We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go.”

Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances during his time at Liverpool, playing a pivotal role in the club’s FA Cup and League Cup double in 2022 and their most recent Premier League triumph.

He last represented Portugal in the Nations League final against Spain on 8 June, where he helped another trophy. In total, he netted 14 goals across 49 caps for his country.

Adblock test (Why?)