This morning, Liverpool Football Club and the entire soccer world were told the devastating news that Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre, had passed away following a car crash in Spain.
Diogo, aged 28, was in the car with his brother André, aged 26, when the car crash happened. André played for FC Penafiel, in the second tier of Portuguese soccer.
Liverpool released a club statement which read: "Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and André's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support."
And that is something we can only follow. Diogo and André's family deserve the utmost privacy and the time to mourn the very sad loss.
Since the heartbreaking news was shared this morning, tributes from across the soccer world, and from those close to Diogo and André, have continued to pour in.
Diogo will mostly be remembered for being an excellent soccer player but, to those close to him, he will be remembered for being a loving family man who lit up every room he walked into.
The head of the Portuguese federation, Pedro Proença said: “Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 caps for the National A Team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all teammates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.”
We echo those statements shared by Liverpool and Pedro Proença, and our thoughts are with the family members and anybody else personally impacted by the loss this morning. May their souls rest in peace.