Diogo
At the end of March, I suddenly lost my father. Nothing could have prepared me for it. He was, as far as I knew, in reasonably good health. Nevertheless, he simply collapsed one day while doing yard work, and that was it. In good times, we memorialize Bill Shankly’s famous quote about the relationship between football, life, and death. But it’s really in the bad times that the quote rings most true. My father was responsible for starting my Liverpool story, and he’ll always be a part of it. The game was such a huge part of our shared life that it feels incomplete without him in it. There was a bittersweet element to our title celebrations coming so soon after his funeral. However, I like to think it was a testament to his memory that I got to experience a real title celebration for only the first time since he brought home that jersey in 2005. All of this was on my mind when I got the news three months later about Diogo Jota.
READ MORE: Our Number 20: Diogo Jota by John Carl Bolido / Diogo Jota: A Red Lost Too Soon by Zahid Haque
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OUR Number 20: Diogo Jota
Diogo’s final season with Liverpool embodied who he was as a player. We didn’t see much of him, thanks to an injury he sustained early in the season. When Diogo took to the pitch, though, he was enormously impactful. He was the moment maker, creator of some of the greatest highlights of an already unforgettable season. His scoring mere seconds after coming on for Ibou Konate against a Fulham side against whom we played with a man down for almost the entire match was an electric equalizer. Some called it the greatest substitution in Premier League history. It’s hard to argue the point. It’s classic Diogo Jota. Liverpool never lost a game in which he scored.
His final goal for Liverpool was a derby day winner against an Everton side we desperately wanted three points against. One of the goals in the triumphant 5-0 coda to 2024 was his. Throughout his Liverpool career, his quiet excellence has created a mystique around him. Jota was dearly loved by supporters, such that easily the best song in the Liverpool songbook was dedicated to him. Diogo Jota was a truly special player in ways that are difficult to describe. The Portuguese international was a cult hero with an enormous following. His life and career have left an enormous impact, and his loss is keenly felt around the world.
The Outpouring Of Love
I felt some kinship with Jurgen Klopp when he confessed that his first impulse was to find some purpose in Diogo’s death. There’s a sort of cruelty to its suddenness that makes the word “tragedy” feel like an understatement. A young father, only days out from marrying the love of his life, beloved by millions across the world, goes out in a freak accident alongside his younger brother. But I think the greatness of the man is best reflected in how he was memorialized. It was hard to see Mo Salah, never known to wear his heart on his sleeve, look devastated as he mourned his teammate. The memorial at Anfield saw attendance from mourners in both Liverpool red and Everton blue. The Everton delegation, led by David Moyes, is a testament to a city that does not hesitate to come together amid tragedy.
Portugal’s deeply familial footballing culture came out tremendously in the mourning process. This is perhaps best exemplified by Ruben Amorim, Bruno Fernandes, and Diogo Dalot of Manchester United. Wolverhampton Wanderers have already made plans for a permanent memorial for Diogo, demonstrating that even now he is remembered reverently by his former club. For our part, Liverpool’s ownership did not hesitate to assure that they would honor Diogo’s contract. The club would memorialize him by permanently retiring his legendary Number 20. Consequently, footballers the world over have given tribute to Diogo in some way or another, including the Gold Cup-winning Mexico national team. Even more than his greatness on the pitch, the way the world has risen to the occasion of memorializing Diogo Jota is a legacy he can be proud of.
Alisson’s Unique Perspective
A couple of weeks after my own dad’s funeral, I was able to read Alisson’s piece in The Player’s Tribune. It revolved around his own father’s sudden death four years ago. I took great comfort in the frank way he talks about his grief. In particular, I think the thing that stuck with me the most was when he said that in Brazil, football is a wave you ride. Afterward, he found his peace by returning to training and sharing his love of the game with his own sons, the way his father did with him. It brought me back to the start of April. I was watching Liverpool play West Ham just days after the funeral, on the very TV that my dad and I watched our first World Cup together.
AMERICAN SCOUSER TAKES ANFIELD
I thought about it again in our friendly against Preston, the first Liverpool game since Diogo’s death. There was clear sadness in the players at the tributes to Diogo, but there was joy too. Darwin Nunez is perhaps the most noteworthy of the bunch. He was in form, sure, but what impressed me the most was how deliberate he was about turning his joyful playing style into a tribute to Diogo. The joy of scoring a goal is unmatched, and in celebration, Darwin remembered his fallen brother. Arne Slot asked the rhetorical question as he returned the team to training: “What is appropriate in our actions?[…] Can we laugh again?”
To that, perhaps Alisson had the answer all along: football is a wave you ride. Maybe Darwin is the example. It could be that when we move on and start talking about the game again is the wrong question to ask. For those of us who love Liverpool, the joys and sorrows of the game are a part of the rhythm of life and death. Accordingly, it will be a part of how we grieve and remember and eventually find peace. It’s not a question of moving on, merely a question of getting back into that rhythm. We can perhaps imagine that Diogo is celebrating along with us as well.