From the moment that the deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, hit the headlines, it has been difficult to envision how life could ever return to normal. Any passing always feels like the poem by W. H. Auden, declaring that we should ‘stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone’. Of course, we all know that we can’t really do that, that life has to carry on.
That is as much the case for Liverpool as it is for everyone else, in spite of how impossible it might feel to just return to normal. The match against Preston North End that took place last night was, therefore, about as good a tribute as you could hope to find.
Pre-Match Tributes
In the wake of the emergence of the news reports of Diogo and André’s deaths, there were some question marks over whether yesterday’s match would even take place. The players needed time to grieve, to come to some sort of level of acceptance about what had happened. The feeling was that the players themselves would lead the way, ultimately deciding that getting back onto a football pitch was what they wanted to do. It should be said that Preston North End, the club and the supporters, were an absolute credit to themselves in terms of how the whole thing was handled.
@wecreatepopular Nothing but respect @Preston North End FC @Liverpool FC ❤️ #pnefc #liverpoolfc ♬ original sound – WE CREATE POPULAR®
A commemorative match day programme was produced, including photos of the two brothers, as well as articles about Jota’s career and tributes from around the world. It was handed out free of charge, whilst a singer was brought in to offer a heart-breaking rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, during which the Preston captain, Ben Whiteman, laid a wreath in front of the singing supporters in Red. There was then an impeccably observed minute’s silence for the pair prior to kick-off. The fans, of course, belted out his song over and over throughout the 90 minutes.
The Number 20 Has Been Retired
On Friday, Liverpool confirmed that the number 20 was to be retired across all levels of the football club. It was a decision taken in consultation with Diogo Jota’s wife, Rute, as well as the family. It was absolutely the right decision to take when you bear in mind that the player himself didn’t retire or move to a new club. He is still our number 20 and will be forever, so it is absolutely correct that no one else should wear the number moving forward. That will be the case across the Academy as well as for LFC Women, which is a brilliant tribute to a player who found a player in everyone’s heart.
Forever our number 20… ❤️
— Liverpool FC (@lfcbot.bsky.social) 11 July 2025 at 20:23
Often, the decision to retire a player’s number can seem somewhat trite. Birmingham City, for example, retired Jude Bellingham’s number simply because he was such a talented player. At Liverpool, the decision to remove a number from circulation has never happened before and, one can only hope, we will never have a reason for it to happen again. As Michael Edwards, the Chief Executive Officer of Football at Fenway Sports Group, said, “Diogo joined us in 2020, he won us number 20, and he wore, with honour, distinction and affection, the number 20. As far as Liverpool Football Club is concerned, he will be forever our number 20.”
The Match Was Incidental
It isn’t an easy thing for football supporters to accept, but no one who turned up to Deepdale with a Liverpool persuasion will have cared all that much about the actual football. In fact, it was somewhat surreal to see the players taking to the pitch in the wake of the tragedy that they’ve endured. Football, though, is utterly relentless. Arne Slot had said ahead of the match that the players should use their emotions rather than ignore them. What followed was an emotional occasion, seeing players and supporters alike showing their love and respect for Diogo.
At the end of the match, the players gathered in front of the fans as Diogo’s song was belted out repeatedly. It proved to be too much for some, with Andrew Robertson having to walk away. It was a match that simultaneously couldn’t have mattered less and yet was also imbued with a huge amount of importance. The game finished 3-1, with goals from Conor Bradley, Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo, which only really mattered because it meant that they got to do Diogo’s celebrations. It told us nothing about the football we can expect from Liverpool this season, but everything about the club and Preston North End. Class acts all round.
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