‘You are not alone’: Grief over Diogo Jota will impact Liverpool for decades

The eternal flame at Anfield is a permanent, sobering reminder that for all Liverpool’s triumphs, tragedy has a habit of shadowing the club like the cruellest of imposters.

Appropriately and poignantly, it was at the Hillsborough Memorial shortly after 9.30am when the first mourners paid their respects to their idol Diogo Jota, a day that began with supporters praying news of his fatal car accident was a sick social media rumour rapidly turning to one of incomprehension and heartbreak.

By mid-afternoon, the expanding collection of bouquets prompted club stewards to relocate tributes, a temporary barrier erected as a steady flow of the sorrowful bowed before an impromptu shrine, yards from a mural immortalising another of Liverpool’s great goalscorers, Ian Rush.

It is the image of the young Portuguese striker celebrating in front of the Kop that lives in perpetuity now.

When processing the grim bulletins from Spain, some immediately spoke of retiring Jota’s number 20 jersey. One can imagine they will never allow another Liverpool fixture to pass without chanting his name. The lingering vision of Jota will be that of his final appearance in the stadium in May, joyously accepting the applause as he danced with the Premier League trophy.

“Forever a champion,” read one of the more prominent messages on freshly wrapped flowers.

“No words,” said another, echoing the universal sense of disbelief.

Floral tributes left by fans at Anfield Stadium.Credit: AP

The tapestry of colours was not only those of Liverpool’s jerseys. Everton, Manchester United and Rangers supporters naturally expressed their solidarity, football tribalism non-existent in the immediate aftermath of trauma.

Several Wolverhampton Wanderers fans laid a wreath, Jota having established his Premier League reputation at Molineux, before a Newcastle supporter gifted a half-and-half scarf which had been a cherished souvenir from his side’s victory over Liverpool in last season’s Carabao Cup final.

Liverpool’s Diogo Jota walks the pitch with his family after a Premier League match.Credit: AP

In such terrible circumstances, the smallest of sacrifices become the grandest of gestures. “I live in Liverpool, but I have been a Newcastle fan all my life,” explained Frank Chialton, 67. “It felt right to be here to show respect. He was such a great player.”

Others immediately headed to Anfield on behalf of loved ones grieving millions of miles away, the global impact of Jota’s death as profound as of any elite athlete at their peak in living memory.

“I have friends and family in Melbourne who are big Liverpool supporters and they could not believe the news this morning,” said Gail Williams.

“They actually used to live in the houses right here, just across from the Main Stand. They called an hour ago and asked if something could be left on their behalf. None of us can believe what has happened.”

The connection between football and spirituality is never so conspicuous than in bereavement, supporters flocking to their place of worship.

A Liverpool fan leaves a tribute,Credit: AP

On a match day, this particular area of Anfield reverberates with excitable pre-match chatter and clamouring feet scampering towards a turnstile. On Thursday, hundreds of mourners could be seen from a distance, steadily making their way across Stanley Park to join the eerie silence, their steps as heavy as their hearts.

After leaving each token of respect, many located a quiet spot for further reflection, some alone, others with partners, sons and daughters, staring into the distance, plenty admitting they were contemplating deeper questions of the chilling event, such as “how?” and “why?“.

“I was working my ambulance shift this morning when I heard the news,” said Paul Gamble, who lives and works around Anfield.

“I was absolutely shocked. Obviously in my line of work you get used to hearing about accidents and such, but – I don’t know – when you hear it is a top player. I can’t explain, really, but for some reason, you just don’t believe it, do you?

“It puts life into perspective. I mean, I don’t really want to talk about the football side of Diogo. All I can think about today is his family, his wife, his children. And for his parents to lose two sons in that way. Two young lads. It is just absolutely devastating.

“When someone dies, especially as young as 28, everyone feels it, and because of our love for the club, it does feel like we have all lost a member of our family. That’s why we all come here. It feels right to come to Anfield today. We all have the same emotions.

“It’s a small thing, I know, but we want to be around each other and friends. I laid a scarf for Diogo on behalf of myself and my daughter.”

Nearby, a father and son sat looking visibly shaken, the youngster close to tears when asked to share his memories of Jota’s numerous match-winning contributions, so fundamental to a golden Anfied era.

“I woke up to the news and I could not believe it. I’m trying to process it,” said Matt Tomlinson, 20.

“You can’t help but think about life; the uncertainty and the unfairness of it,” said his father, Vinny. “This was a lad in the prime of his life, just married, and then it has been taken away from him just like that.

‘You can’t help but think about life; the uncertainty and the unfairness of it’

“I have been going to the Kop since 1978. This feels like such a personal loss. I know it shouldn’t. We think of these young men as remote, highly paid footballers. But there is a collective spirit within a football club, a solidarity between us as supporters and those players we come to love so much. For Diogo to have lost his life this way. It is just wrong, isn’t it?

“This club just echoes our life. None of us can escape tragedy in life at some point, can we? We spend our lives seeking out the good times and the successes. But you always know there is sadness around the corner, and we’ve had to suffer so much of it in our love for this club.

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“I wanted to say thank you, as much as anything else. That’s what our message said: Thank you, Diogo, for everything you did. Because you are a massive contributor to some of the greatest of times for this football club. What you did means so much to us all and it always will.”

In the shadow of the Kop end, another poignant message was placed at the feet of the Bill Shankly statue. “Rip Diogo Jota. You are not alone,” it read.

The palpable sense of grief will not subside for years at Anfield. It is a sombre consolation that the sadness for a tragic death is matched by fullest appreciation of a young man who enriched millions of lives.

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