6 months ago
5
ESPN
Jul 13, 2025, 06:45 AM ET
Arne Slot has paid an affectional tribute to Diogo Jota up of Liverpool's archetypal lucifer since the Portugal forward's decease connected Sunday.
Jota, who was 28, and his member André Silva, who was 25, died successful a car crash adjacent Zamora, Spain connected July 3.
Liverpool look Championship broadside Preston North End astatine Deepdale successful a preseason affable that could see respective first-team players, who reported to grooming connected Tuesday. The archetypal planned instrumentality to preseason grooming was delayed, with galore players having attended the ceremonial successful Portugal past week.
Jota and Silva volition beryllium commemorated astatine Deepdale with a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" played up of kick-off and Preston volition laic a wreath successful beforehand of the distant supporters.
Liverpool, who person retired Jota's No. 20 successful his honour, besides confirmed some sets of players volition deterioration achromatic armbands and a minute's soundlessness volition beryllium observed with integer tributes played connected the surface and crossed pitchside LEDs.
Ahead of the match, Liverpool brag Arne Slot gave an interrogation to the club's website successful which helium paid tribute to Jota and expressed his commiserations to the brothers' family.
"First of all, it had a batch of interaction connected america but thing compared to the nonaccomplishment that is felt by his parents, his woman Rute and his children and his different family." Slot said.
"The archetypal feeling we each person is of sadness. The 2nd feeling that comes to my caput is pride. I deliberation his parents and Rute tin beryllium truthful arrogant of the subordinate and the idiosyncratic helium was -- chiefly the person. I've spoken to galore of his teammates, I've spoken to galore unit members, and they each complaint him truthful precocious and each accidental however bully of a idiosyncratic helium was. That helium was ever himself. So they should and volition beryllium precise arrogant if they could perceive what each his teammates and each the unit members would accidental astir him.
"Second of all, I deliberation our fans tin beryllium truthful arrogant astir the players we person astatine this club.
"They've seen them winning the league, that was a large achievement, but what they did successful the past week with the togetherness they had, however they conducted themselves erstwhile we were successful Portugal together, the fans couldn't person asked for much from our players erstwhile it comes to however large quality beings they are.
"Those are the 2 emotions. Of course, the archetypal emotion of sadness is overmuch stronger than the 1 of being proud. But it's the some of them."
Slot emphasised the request for his players consciousness what it is similar to play shot again arsenic the players and unit proceed to process their grief.
"Nothing seems to beryllium important if we deliberation of what has happened. But we are a shot nine and we request to bid and we request to play again, if we privation it oregon not," Slot said.
"What I've said to the players, I tin accidental it present arsenic well. It's precise hard to find the close words due to the fact that we perpetually statement what is appropriate. What is due successful our actions? What is due [for] what we person to say? Can we bid again? Can we laughter again? Can we beryllium aggravated if there's a incorrect decision?
"And I've said to them, 'maybe the champion happening for america to bash is grip this concern similar Jota was.' And what I meant with that is that Jota was ever himself, it didn't substance if helium was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, helium was ever himself. So fto america effort to beryllium ourselves arsenic well. So, if we privation to laughter we laugh; if we privation to outcry we're going to cry. If they privation to bid they tin train, if they don't privation to bid they tin not train. But beryllium yourself, don't deliberation you person to beryllium antithetic than your emotions archer you."
"Second of all, Jots was the subordinate that if things were really, really, truly difficult, I ever looked astatine him and said, 'Now we request thing peculiar from you.' And helium delivered truthful galore times successful those moments. I tin travel up with each of these moments, adjacent earlier I was present helium had galore of these moments arsenic well. So we are successful a precise hard time, truthful let's effort to bash what Diogo did truthful galore times. If it's truthful hard past effort a small spot harder oregon conscionable support connected going and effort to marque it work."
