Slot: ‘Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us’ | OneFootball

Arne Slot has paid an emotional tribute to Diogo Jota following the forward’s tragic death, sharing a powerful statement with supporters via liverpoofc.com.

The Dutchman revealed his final message to the 28-year-old came just after Portugal’s Nations League triumph – only weeks before Jota’s wedding and the devastating car crash that took his and his brother Andre’s lives.

“In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family,” our head coach said.

“Which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this.”

Slot’s full statement captured both the pain and admiration felt across the Liverpool family, as he reflected on the qualities that made Jota “not just our player… a loved one to all of us”.

“My first thoughts are not those of a football manager,” he wrote.

“They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle – and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss.”

Slot: ‘We will remember his goals… and sing his song’

(Photo by Barrington Coombs/Getty Images)

In a message that resonated with players, staff, and fans alike, Slot promised that Jota will be remembered for far more than what he contributed on the pitch.

“There were also the parts that not everyone got to see,” he explained.

“The person who never sought popularity but found it anyway… someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family.”

Slot added: “He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate – and in all of those roles he was very special.”

In his tribute, Slot also recalled learning Jota’s chant from the fans upon arriving at Anfield in 2024.

“I had not worked with him previously but I knew straight away that if the Liverpool supporters, who have seen so many great players over the years, had such a unique chant for Diogo, he must have special qualities.”

Arne Slot asks for Liverpool fans to be there for each other

(Photo by Barrington Coombs/Getty Images)

Slot urged the Liverpool squad and club as a whole to unite in their grief and carry the weight together: “We need everyone at the club to stand together and to be there for one another.

“We owe this to Diogo, to Andre Silva, to their wider family and to ourselves.”

The message ended on a line that has already struck a chord with many supporters:

“When the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and we will sing his song.

“For the time being, we will remember him as a unique human being and mourn his loss.

“His name is Diogo.”

This is a powerful message from our head coach who knows how widespread the devastation will be from this harrowing news and he will now be one of the main people in attempting to pick everyone up off the floor and try to find some strength from this lowest of lows.

With funeral plans already confirmed, this mourning will take place across the world and over the course of the next few days, weeks and months.