by Arne Slot said that Diogo Jota was loved by everyone in Liverpool and that there is a feeling of an “absolute shock” when the striker died.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva were killed in Spain in a car accident and Slot said that it was even more “heartbreaking” because this developed as a dream summer for the 28-year-old.
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The former wolves and postage attackers had helped Liverpool to win the Premier League and Portugal The Nations League before marrying rod with his youth treasure.
Head coach Slot said he would never forget Jota when he mourned a unique and special person who had everything he wanted in a footballer in Liverpool.
In his tribute, Slot said: “For us as a club, the feeling of shock is absolutely. Diogo was not only our player. He was a loved one for all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a colleague and in all the roles he was something very special.
“I could say so much about what he brought to our team, but the truth is that everyone who saw Diogo games could see it. Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals. The essence of what a Liverpool should be.
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“There were also the parts that not everyone could see. The person who never looked for popularity but found it anyway. No friend of two people, a friend for everyone. Someone who made the other feel good when they were with them. A person who took care of his family deeply.
“When we last spoke, I congratulated Diogo on winning the Nations League and wished him luck for his upcoming wedding. In many ways it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end.”
Diogo Jota died on Thursday morning in a car accident at the age of 28 (Getty)
Slot came to Liverpool last summer and said he soon found that Jota was a favorite of the Angard audience.
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He added: “When I came to the club for the first time, one of the first songs I had known was the one that our fans sing for Diogo. I hadn’t worked with him before, but I knew that when the supporters of Liverpool, who have seen so many great players over the years
“The fact that we have lost these qualities under such terrible circumstances is something that we have not yet resigned. For this reason, we all need together in the club to stand together and to be there for each other. We owe this Diogo, Andre Silva, her family and ourselves.
“My condolences to Diogo’s wife Rut, her three beautiful children and the parents of Diogo and Andre Silva.
Arne Slot paid his player an emotional homage and said the club was in a state of “absolute shock” (Getty Images).
“If the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and sing his song. We will first remember him as a unique person and mourn his loss. He will never forget. His name is Diogo.”
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Slot admitted that he had difficulty processing his own grief and said his thoughts were with Jota’s family.
“What should I say?” he asked. “What can someone say at such a time when the shock and pain are so incredibly raw? I wish I had the words, but I know that I don’t.
“All I have is feelings that I know that so many people about a person and a player we loved very much, and a family that interests us so much.
The fans have gathered outside of ANFIELD to put flowers in Jota’s memory (pa wire)
“My first thoughts are not that of a football manager. They are a father, son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva, who have experienced such an unimaginable loss.
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“My message to her is very clear – you will never go alone. The players, the employees, the supporters of the Liverpool Football Association are all with them and what I saw today can be said the same about the wider family of football.
“This is not only a reaction to the tragedy. It is also a reaction to the kindness of the people involved and the respect that so many have as individuals and for the family as a whole.”
