A truly ‘wonderful, loving’ soul: Diogo Jota’s ‘immense’ impact on Liverpool remembered

A truly ‘wonderful, loving’ soul: Diogo Jota’s ‘immense’ impact on Liverpool remembered

Let’s turn to the very sad tragic news uh that is affecting the world of soccer this evening. The death of Diego Jot. The Liverpool and Portugal forward was killed in a car crash alongside his own brother in northern Spain. It’s understood Jot and his brother in a Lamborghini car making their way to board a ferry so Jotto could get back to Liverpool for pre-season training. A tire burst causing the car to leave the road. This according to local police in northern Spain and it burst into flames on impact. An absolute tragedy. Johotto won the Premier League with Liverpool last season. He married Rut Kardoso, his childhood sweetheart and mother of their three children on June the 22nd this year. So much to live for. Yoga dead at the age of just 28. With tire marks and the charred remains of a vehicle, this isolated highway in northern Spain is where footballer Diego Jot and his brother died in a car accident. Police say Jot’s Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames just after midnight Thursday, adding initial evidence suggested the car suffered a burst tire. 28-year-old Jota and 25-year-old Andre Silva, also a football player, were the only ones inside. Jot’s death comes less than two weeks after he married his longtime partner, writing in a social media post, “Yes to forever. They have three children, the youngest born last year.” It’s prompted an outpouring of grief from Jot’s former teammates like Cristiano Ronaldo, who said his death didn’t make sense and sent his condolences to the football players family. Liverpool fans, meanwhile, laid flowers, cards, and photos at Anfield Stadium. the way he played football with a smile on his face all the time. He was the epitome of enjoying what you do. Every time he went out on the pitch, he gave us all for us. And you don’t know these people personally, but when you do lose somebody in this fashion, it’s it’s devastating.
Born in the Portuguese city of Porto, Jot started playing football in local professional leagues before moving to the English club Wolverampton in 2017. The forward joined Liverpool in 2020, winning three major trophies with the club, including the Premier League title last season. Jota also played for Portugal’s national team and helped them win the nation’s league last month. Caris Garland. Now, let’s get a knowledgeable uh fans perspective on this tragedy. We’ve got all the tributes coming in as we heard there from Caris in her piece. Cristiano Cristiano Ronaldo among others Rishard and another one Brazil’s center forward. Let’s now bring in by phone Keith Corkerin. Now Keith Corkran is a lifelong Liverpool fan. Keith in the early days watched Liverpool from the famous cop and traveled home and away to see the Reds triumph over the years. These images we’re showing you now show the kind of company that Keith now gets to keep on match days. These photos with former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and midfielder Harvey Elliot show the proximity that Keith and his friends have to the squad uh due to their stature within the club. Now Keith, thank you for joining us. This is an incredibly sad day for Liverpool fans um for fans of football across the world. Um the images we saw uh show you close to Klopp, close to Harvey Elliot, but obviously you’ve spent time speaking to Dio as well. Sadly no photograph, but you’ve chatted with him many times. give us a sense of the kind of person that Yogoto was. Well, Mark, he was such a gentle person. Always had a smile on his face at time for people. Really, really respectful man. It’s just an absolute tragedy and such a sad loss. We’ve lost such a wonderful person. You’re at a charity event, I know, with your good friend Brian Duffy and and a lot of uh people involved in your circle watching Liverpool Football Club are there tonight. I I imagine that among all of you there’s a a huge sense of sadness. Oh Mark, it’s it’s unbelievable. I mean I’m in the presence of old mcb say Brian Duffy Jamie Webster and the the talk is just constantly about Diego honest Jamie spent a lot of time with Diego and he’s just endorsed exactly what I said before what a wonderful loving person he was. It’s such a tragedy. Mark, how important a footballer was he for Liverpool Football Club in your opinion? Oh, incredible. I mean, anybody who scores in his first four home games for Liverpool FC and scores the opening goal on the season for Anie Slot in his first game against Ipsswitch. What he brought to the team was was immense. I mean, I know he had his injury problems, but we just take the Everton game when Salah scored two, but the constant threat that night and caused all the issues to the Everton side was Diego. He was immense. And that’s what he did. Whether he was playing up front, whether he dropped into the midfield, he would chase. He was a brilliant footballer. He was good in the air, he was good on the ground. And in my opinion, he was the best in the sixyard block box, but he under the current squad. I I I just love he was brilliant. I I remember the game I was with you at the game you’ve just been speaking about. And what struck me about Diego Jotto was the fact that his work enabled the likes of Salah and and all the other stars at Liverpool Football Club to actually excel because he was creating so much space because what he did. a very um selfless player in many ways, but capable, as you say, of scoring the goals when it counts. 28 years old he was. It’s no age to die. No age at all. And on top of that, he’s his brother dying with him, Andre. Um I’m not too familiar with Andre. But what a tragedy. It It’s just so saddening. The family have lost not one son, two sons, both. apparently brilliant footballers. I can only speak on behalf of do go because I’ve seen him play that many times. He was amazing. Absolutely amazing. It’s it it’s so sad, Mark. So sad.
We’re seeing as you’re speaking to us, Brian, the images from Anfield, tributes being laid. Uh we’re seeing Everton shirts there too. It’s a sense of fans coming over to to pay their respects. A Wolverampton Wanderer shirt too is something I’ve seen as well. that of course his first club in England in Li in the Liverpool team he wears the number 20 jersey Keith what happens to that jersey now do you have any sense being an insider at Liverpool what might happen to that shirt might he be retired well recently at a a Jamie Webster concert um if the Dgo has a famous song and it’s called the number 20 and that was the shirt he wore and it was voted as the best player song that Liverpool had. I think now going forward the club should retire. I shared that is the go and it’ll never be worn by anybody else. It’s in my eyes he’s a legend and as you just said then the the city of Liverpool and the football community in general we’re just all deeply saddened the tributes that are pouring in for clubs like Everton, Manchester United, Chelsea did just amazing which just shows what a wonderful player and a wonderful person he was just flags are flying in the city of Half Mass. It’s it it’s it’s it it it’s it’s beyond belief. Honestly, the the community just can’t believe that they’ve lost such a talented footballer who had everything going forward for him. You know, you just look at what he said recently. He’s the luckiest, happiest man in the world when he recently got
and and Keith, fair to say that his family who he leaves behind, a very young family, they will they will never walk alone. They’ll always have the support of of Liverpool FC and and the fans.
They’ll have every support honestly that the community, the city, the club will embrace them with open arms. They will always be a part of our family. You as you say, Mark, they’ll never walk alone. Keith Corkran, lifelong Liverpool fan. Thank you very much for sharing these thoughts with us. I know it’s tough and people perhaps don’t understand, but football is very much a a family affair in Liverpool and we take it all to heart and thank you for sharing your thoughts with us and give my best to Brian and all the team there and I hope you have a good evening and continue raising money for that charity you’re supporting tonight.
Uh Keith Corkran, as you say, Mark,
go ahead.
What a wonderful charity as well. I mean it it’s it’s the old Mac Foundation and poor Owen he died from leukemia in 2015 and his parents Joe and um Mark set up this charity and would it being his 21st birthday this year but his memories just kept alive by the foundation and it’s magical memories the children who suffering with cancer and together with the Liverpool Foundation they do so much for this city and I’m sure like what’s happened with the ogo they will bring the memory back to Liverpool football club it every no nobody associates with this club who’s passed away will ever be forgotten Keith we need to leave it there thank you so much again and give my regards to everybody where you are thank you very much indeed Keith Coin
thank you lifelong Liverpool fan thank you sir all the all the very best to you and our condolences to to you and all the fans and to everybody in football of course mourning the loss of Dooo Jota a remarkable player uh killed just at the age in a car crash just at the age of 28 uh just married three young children uh it’s leaving a huge legacy and a huge hole of course uh in uh the city of Liverpool not just the football team the city too that’s it for this uh slice of our program we take a very short break after that the news continues stay with [Music]

“Sim, para sempre”. Yes, forever: The words of Rute Cardoso accompanying Diogo Jota’s Instagram photo of their June wedding with family and their three children. Then, in the flash of an instant, the Portuguese Liverpool player and his brother lost their lives in a fiery car accident. As Jota’s family, teammates and fans across the sports world mourn the two brothers devoted to football and family, FRANCE 24’s Mark Owen welcomes Keith Corcoran, a fan and friend of Liverpool for half a century. He knew Jota well: a kind, gentle person on and off the field. Mr. Corcoran remembers Jota fondly as a “selfless player” who had an “immense” impact on the team.
#Liverpool #DiogoJota #Football

🔔 Subscribe to France 24 now: https://f24.my/YTen
🔴 LIVE – Watch FRANCE 24 English 24/7 here: https://f24.my/YTliveEN

🌍 Read the latest International News and Top Stories: https://www.france24.com/en/

Like us on Facebook: https://f24.my/FBen
Follow us on X: https://f24.my/Xen
Bluesky: https://f24.my/BSen and Threads: https://f24.my/THen
Browse the news in pictures on Instagram: https://f24.my/IGen
Discover our TikTok videos: https://f24.my/TKen
Get the latest top stories on Telegram: https://f24.my/TGen