Diogo Jota: Thank you | OneFootball

Writing these words doesn't feel real. Diogo Jota should be in Liverpool right now. He should be preparing for a new season, a new phase of his life as a married man.

As a Liverpool fan, as someone who looked forward to him playing for the Reds, his loss alongside his brother Andre Silva hurts immeasurably. I cannot even begin to comprehend what those who knew him as a colleague, teammate, friend, husband, father or son are feeling in these moments.

For grief like this, there are no words nor actions that can heal the wounds. Grief like this never heals.

I know nothing will ever be the same at Liverpool again. We've all lost someone who we admired, someone who was adored by all those who surrounded him.

A devoted and dedicated professional, who was kind, loving, funny and smart. Reading the tributes of his teammates and those who knew him gives you a true picture of the person he was.

Now we've lost him forever, and the world feels a lot darker, more sombre than it was before.

I don't know what else to say or write. The only thing I can say to Diogo Jota is to say thank you.

For five years, he gave me moments I will never forget as Liverpool fan. From the beginning, Jota was a player who gave me hope.

Jota arrived at Liverpool during Covid. For a lot of us, it was a really dark time. For myself, I was separated from my family and friends, stuck at home due to travel restrictions in the United Kingdom.

Watching Jota and being excited about his arrival helped distract me from the reality of what was going on. I remember him bursting onto the pitch, scoring that goal against Arsenal and going on an incredible run.

When a year later my grandmother passed, and I felt like nothing will be the same again, it was Jota and Liverpool who gave me hope, who helped me find a way out of my grief by delivering that spectacular 2021/22 season.

Last year, when I was back in Hungary visiting my grandfather who was suffering and terribly ill, and would later pass away, I remember feeling a brief moment of joy when Liverpool beat Crystal Palace - the winning goal that day was scored by Diogo Jota.

It's for these moments that I say thank you. Liverpool would never have been as successful during the last five years if it had not been for Jota.

All of that feels futile in this moment. Who cares about success on the pitch when we've lost a life? Yet, it's those memories that will endure, memories that will stay with me for a lifetime.

I may never got to say thank you to Diogo in person. But I want to write this thank you to him here. He contributed to make some of the darkest moments in my life a little bit more bearable.

The only way I can repay him now is to honour his legacy. Diogo, I will never forget you. You will always be our no.20.