Jurgen Klopp has said that he’s yet to ‘come to terms’ with the tragic loss of Diogo Jota in a car crash in July 2025 which also claimed the life of his brother Andre Silva.
The siblings were killed when, whilst en route from Porto to Santander to catch a ferry back to England, the car in which they were travelling suffered a tyre blowout before going off the road and catching fire.
In the days which followed the tragedy, tributes poured in for both men throughout the world of football, with Anfield becoming a shrine to Liverpool’s number 20 as thousands of scarves and other memorabilia were laid outside the stadium.
Jurgen Klopp still trying to process Diogo’s tragic death
In a newly-published book titled ‘Diogo Jota: Forever In Our Hearts’, Klopp recalled the sense of shock at hearing of Diogo’s sudden death and admitted that he’s still trying to process the tragic loss.
The former Reds manager said (via Liverpool Echo): “I’m 58 years old. I know that people die, that this is part of life. Once you reach a certain age, we have to accept that these things happen, but when I heard about Diogo’s accident, I was in shock and I couldn’t even speak.
“I didn’t ask how, I didn’t ask where; I just stopped what I was doing and tried to come to terms with it. To this day, I must admit, I still haven’t really managed to do that.
“When my assistant Danielle asked me if I was available to have this conversation – to contribute to this book – I said yes, that I wanted to talk about Diogo, to think about him. However, now that we’re talking, I can see that I’m not ready for it.
“I’ve spent most of my life talking, but now I’m just hanging by a thread, lost for words – which is not at all normal. It’s crazy…”
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The heartbreak of Diogo’s death will never fully heal
The footballing world might continue to trundle on, but the depth of heartbreak suffered by those at Liverpool was felt for months after the tragedy, with Andy Robertson admitting that the players ‘didn’t care about football’ for much of last season amid their enduring grief.
It was Klopp who signed Diogo for the Reds in 2020 and worked with the Portuguese forward for four years before he left Anfield, and the German’s tribute to our forever number 20 highlights the extent to which the fatal car crash has (and continues to have) on the ex-LFC manager.
Time will pass and those representing the Merseyside club on the pitch will get on with their core task of trying to win football matches, but the heartbreak of losing Diogo and Andre will never fully heal.
In the rush to criticise players when they make mistakes during a match, it’s easy to forget just how much mental fortitude it must’ve taken for the Liverpool squad to simply get through last season, never mind securing Champions League football.
For that, everyone at the club has our utmost respect.