Former Liverpool player pays tribute to Diogo Jota with goal celebration on international duty | OneFootball

A number of footballers have taken the opportunity to pay tribute to Diogo Jota in recent days by demonstrating one of his much-loved rituals.

Since the death of the 28-year-old and his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain last Thursday, tributes have poured in from across the world in honour of the two men who lost their lives so tragically.

A shrine comprising hundreds of shirts, scarves, banners and other items has been made outside Anfield and continues to expand, while Liverpool FC have extended the signing period for a physical book of condolence at the stadium for two additional days.

Jota’s trademark celebration has been widely copied in tribute

During his time with the Reds, one of the things for which Jota became renowned was celebrating goals by sitting with his legs crossed and pretending to operate a video game controller, with the Portuguese forward having been an avid gamer.

That celebration was copied by his ex-Wolves teammate Raul Jimenez in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final for Mexico on Sunday, as well as a one-time Portugal under-21 colleague in Diogo Goncalves after he netted for Real Salt Lake in an MLS fixture over the weekend.

Another footballer to mark a goal in that manner was Rinsola Babajide, formerly of Liverpool FC Women, after she scored for Nigeria in their 3-0 win over Tunisia in their opening match of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.

Image via @showlfc on X

Jota’s legacy will endure at Liverpool and elsewhere

Amid the shock and devastation of Jota and his brother dying so young and so tragically, it has been comforting to see so many people paying heartfelt respects to the two men in recent days.

The scale of the tributes outside Anfield, and Liverpool’s decision to leave the physical book of condolence open for a further two days, attests to how much Diogo was loved on Merseyside (and always will be).

The Reds’ squad will make an extremely emotional return to the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday as they begin the process of coming to terms with the loss of a beloved friend and teammate, and we just hope that everyone at the club will have a strong support network to call upon in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Jota was a Liverpool player for five years of his life, but his legacy at Anfield will endure for so much longer.

You can see Babajide paying tribute to Jota below, via ESPN Africa on X: