Liverpool Reveal ‘Unique’ Memorial in Tribute to Diogo Jota, Andre Silva

Liverpool have released the first images of a sculpture dedicated to the late Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva which has been made out of tributes created by fans in what is described as a “unique recycling process.”

Jota and Silva were tragically killed in a car accident on July 3, 2025, while driving through Spain to catch a ferry back to England for preseason training at Liverpool. Jota, a freshly crowned Premier League champion who was 28 at the time, had undergone minor surgery and been advised by the club’s medical staff to avoid flying.

The passing of Liverpool’s striker and his brother, a professional soccer player himself for Portuguese second-tier side Penafiel, inspired an outpouring of emotion from across the game. Amid the countless reams of kind words produced to honor a seemingly universally adored figure, hundreds of physical tributes were laid by fans outside Liverpool’s Anfield home.

Such was the volume of donations, be it flowers, scarves, shirts or any other piece of memorabilia, Liverpool announced that they would collect all of these materials to produce a permanent tribute for a player no one wanted to forget.

Ten months on from that fateful summer morning, the club revealed the ‘Forever 20’ memorial.

Spooling out from a granite-faced plinth which contains remnants of all those fan tributes is the ribbony centerpiece. This flowing design takes the shape of a heart when confronted head-on to mark Jota’s signature celebration. It also forms the digits 20 and 30 at different angles, paying tribute to the squad numbers worn by Jota and Silva. Laid beside the design is a video game controller to recognize Jota’s affection for the pastime, which formed the inspiration for another common goal celebration.

The lyrics of Jota’s beloved chant are etched into the folds of the sculpture, which will be placed on 97 Avenue right beside the stadium where so many tributes were originally laid.

How Jota’s Memory Will Live on at Liverpool

Beyond the finite constrictions of steel and cement, Jota’s legacy will live on forever in the hearts and minds of Liverpool fans. This is a club that does not forget the numerous tragedies which have so cruely befallen it.

The location of this memorial, a street renamed in honor of the 97 people killed during the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, is evidence of Liverpool’s capacity to commemorate the memories of those taken too soon.

Jota’s song which has been etched into the statue has been sung by Liverpool fans in the 20th minute of every game this season, a tradition which doesn’t look like ebbing away any time soon. The memory of Liverpool’s No. 20 isn’t going anywhere either.

“We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go. Maybe especially in difficult moments,” Liverpool boss Arne Slot wonderfully put it last summer. “But in any moment we are here, we will carry him with us in our thoughts and in our hearts.”

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