In a touching tribute to the late Diogo Jota, Liverpool Football Club has announced plans to create a permanent memorial sculpture at Anfield. The memorial will honor the Portuguese forward, who tragically passed away in a car accident on July 3, 2025, along with his brother, Andre Silva.
The club has been deeply moved by the outpouring of support and grief from fans, who have left thousands of tributes at Anfield since the news of Jota's passing. These tributes, including flowers, scarves, cards, and banners, have been carefully collected and stored, and will be incorporated into the permanent memorial sculpture. Liverpool FC has expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has paid their respects to Diogo and his brother.
According to the club, the floral tributes will be composted and used in flower beds across all club sites, including Anfield and the AXA Training Centre. The remaining items will be recycled by a specialist company and used to create the permanent memorial sculpture, which will serve as a future focal point of remembrance at Anfield.
In addition to the sculpture, Liverpool is planning several other tributes to honor Jota. The players will wear a 'Forever 20' emblem on their shirts for the 2025/26 season, a poignant reminder of Jota's squad number. A temporary area of reflection has also been created at Anfield for fans who wish to continue paying their respects. Furthermore, all profits from supporters who choose to have 'Diogo J. 20' printed on their shirts will be donated to the LFC Foundation, the club's official charity, to create a grassroots football program in Jota's name.
For Liverpool's Premier League opener against Bournemouth on August 15, a fan mosaic and a minute of silence are planned. The club had previously announced that Jota's No. 20 shirt would be permanently retired across all levels of the club.
Diogo Jota, who was 28 years old at the time of his death, joined Liverpool in September 2020 and quickly became a fan favorite. Over five seasons, he made 182 appearances and scored 65 goals, helping the team win the Premier League title in 2024-25, one FA Cup, and two EFL Cups. Jota was known for his finishing, pace, dribbling ability, and work rate. Some of his notable achievements include scoring Liverpool's 10,000th goal, being the only Liverpool player to score in his first four home league games, and scoring the fastest Premier League goal by a Liverpool substitute.
Jota also represented Portugal at various youth levels and made his senior international debut in November 2019. He was part of the squads for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2020 and 2024 UEFA European Championships, and he won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
The permanent memorial sculpture at Anfield will stand as a lasting tribute to Diogo Jota's contributions to Liverpool Football Club and his impact on the lives of fans around the world.
