Former West Ham United coach Stuart Pearce has paid an emotional tribute to Diogo Jota following the Premier League winner’s devastating passing at the age of 28.
Just days after the Portugal international’s wedding, and only weeks after Liverpool secured their second-ever Premier League title, one of the finest forwards of the modern Anfield era passed away in tragic circumstances.
Diogo Jota lost his life in a car accident in Spain, just after midnight on Thursday morning, alongside his 26-year-old brother Andre Filipe da Silva.
Former West Ham United player and coach Stuart Pearce was preparing for his mid-morning talkSPORT show alongside Jim White when the news broke.
And the reaction spreading through the building, Pearce felt, rather summed up the devastating shock which unites fans from all corners of the English game.
West Ham United hero Stuart Pearce pays Diogo Jota tribute
According to BBC Sport Diogo Jota’s Lamborghini suffered a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle and caught fire while travelling through the Spanish province of Zamora.
He leaves behind three children and his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, who he married only last month.
“It’s absolutely incredible,” Pearce reflects. “We came in this morning looking to do a show that was bright and upbeat, and this news has rocked the building. The sombre news we’ve got here is incredible.
“The talent he is…
“The Liverpool family will have to come together again and unite behind him and his family, and our regards go out to the family. The family have lost two sons here.
“Our profession can be tribal at times but, when you get situation like this, the whole football community comes together.”
England icon Pearce was on the Manchester City coaching staff when Marc-Vivian Foe died due to a heart condition during a 2003 Confederations Cup semi-final clash between Colombia and his native Cameroon.
Ex-City midfielder Foe, like former Wolves, Atletico Madrid and Porto attacker Jota, was only 28 at the time of his passing.
Jota’s younger brother, Andre Filipe da Silva, was a talented footballer himself, representing Penafiel back home in Portugal.
“I was on the coaching staff at Manchester City and Marc-Vivian Foe was one of our players. He lost his life on a football pitch,” Pearce remembers. “The impact that had around the football club, in the dressing room, with teammates, is just immense.
“Liverpool have had probably one of the biggest highs they’ve had, winning the Premier League… The highs and lows of life, if you like, are there for all to see in many ways.
“I never knew Diogo. I never met him, but the impact [his passing] had for everybody, the state of shock was incredible because of his age, because he was in his prime, because of his brother being with him at the time as well.
“Two members of the same family, it’s just horrific.”
Portuguese Football Federation issue statement on Jota passing
Diogo Jota won a Premier League, an FA Cup and an EFL Cup during half-a-decade in a Liverpool shirt, playing 182 games and scoring 65 goals.
He also earned just shy of 50 caps for the Portuguese national team, accumulating a pair of UEFA Nations League winners’ medals.
“The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated,” reads a statement provided by the FPF on their official website.
“Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 international appearances, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all team-mates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.
“We have lost two champions. The passing of Diogo and Andre Silva represents irreparable losses for Portuguese football, and we will do everything to honour their legacy daily.”
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