Jose Mourinho has delivered a deeply heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota following the Liverpool forward’s untimely death in a car crash, a tragedy that also claimed the life of his younger brother, Andre Silva.
The accident, which occurred in the municipality of Cernadilla, in the province of Zamora in the north west of Spain, on Thursday, has plunged the football world into mourning.
Jota, just 28, was travelling with Silva when a burst tyre caused his Lamborghini to veer off-road and catch fire. The crash came less than a fortnight after Jota married his long-time partner, Rute Cardoso, the mother of their three children.
The brothers are being laid to rest together on Saturday in their hometown of Gondomar.
From Anfield to Argentina, messages of shock and sorrow have poured in, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi among many footballing legends offering condolences. But perhaps the most poignant words came from Portuguese compatriot Jose Mourinho.
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Mourinho mourns Jota: ‘Nothing was easy’
Speaking from Silverstone ahead of the British Formula One Grand Prix, Mourinho recalled Jota not just as a gifted footballer but as a humble and grounded human being.
“When people leave this world, normally we all say, ‘He was such a nice guy’. Diogo was really a nice guy.
“He had my agent, he had my structure, so of course I knew a lot about him. And people in Liverpool, they know what I’m saying is the truth. He’s a lad that nothing was easy for him.
“You have to fight to arrive where you arrive. From this generation, he was not chasing protagonism; it was the protagonist that found him because of his talent. And the history is something really crazy.”
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Grief united us then, again now
The tragedy has evoked painful memories for Mourinho, who endured a similar loss in 1994 while assistant to Bobby Robson at Porto. Midfielder Rui Filipe, just 26, also died in a car accident.
“It happened with me many, many years ago when I was working with Mr. [Bobby] Robson at Porto. One of our boys, also a loved boy, died in a car crash and the team was champions.
“Instead of the boys suffering alone, it was like the group was suffering together and trying to fight for his memory. It was a boy called Rui Felipe and we were champions, I think, for him.
“So I think in Liverpool they are going to suffer together, also the fans. I think the club is also a fantastic club. I think they already decided or are deciding to take away the shirt number 20.
“So, I always think he will always be at Anfield, will be always part of the family and maybe they lose a player, but maybe they win even more so than what they had.”
He concluded:
“Three kids that stay without a dad, a young woman without her husband, the parents that lose both sons, it’s crazy. It’s difficult to understand. Maybe one day we will understand, but not now.”
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