Diogo Jota remembered as Arne Slot Cristiano Ronaldo leads tributes - ESPN

Tributes from around the sporting world have been paid to Liverpool forward Diogo Jota after the Portugal international and his brother, André Silva, died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday morning.

The player's death at the age of 28 was confirmed by Liverpool Football Club, the Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), with the Spain Civil Guard informing The Associated Press of the incident.

Jota's death comes just weeks after he married his long-term partner, Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children. He lifted the Premier League title with his teammates on May 25 and won four major honors during his time at the club.

In a statement, the club said they were «devastated» by Jota's passing and requested «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.»

«For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special,» Liverpool boss Arne Slot said in a statement.

«I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it. Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals. The essence of what a Liverpool player should be.»

The club's senior leadership group of Billy Hogan, John Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon said in a joint statement: This tragic situation and the reality of it is truly shocking, devastating and has left us numb with grief. We therefore cannot imagine how the immediate and wider family of these remarkable brothers must be feeling. Our thoughts, prayers and