Chelsea have confirmed that a portion of the bonuses earned by their players for winning the Club World Cup will be donated to the families of the late Diogo Jota and Andre Silva.
The Blues lifted the trophy in the United States last month after a convincing 3-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey, securing an estimated £84.4million in prize money.
Around £11.4m of that total has been set aside for the players, with each member of Enzo Maresca’s squad in line to receive roughly £400,000.
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However, both the club and the squad agreed that an equal share should be sent to the families of Jota and Silva.
Chelsea have confirmed that a portion of the bonuses earned by their players for winning the Club World Cup will be donated to the families of the late Diogo Jota and Andre Silva
|GETTY
The Liverpool forward and his brother tragically lost their lives in a car accident on July 3, partway through the tournament.
The loss was felt deeply among the Chelsea ranks, particularly by Pedro Neto, who had played alongside Jota at Wolves and with the Portugal national team.
During the tournament, Maresca gave Neto the option to step away, but the winger chose to continue, dedicating his performances to his late friend.
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Several players paid tribute through goal celebrations during the campaign.
Liverpool have since retired Jota’s No 20 shirt across all levels of the club as a permanent mark of respect.
Chelsea’s decision to contribute their winnings was widely praised by fans from across the football spectrum.
Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, tragically died last month following a car crash in Spain | GETTY
Mark Goldbridge, who works on The United Stand YouTube channel, described it as 'absolute class by Chelsea players to donate such a large amount of money to Jota’s family,' while one Liverpool supporter called it 'exceptional'.
Another added: “That was class Chelsea! Lovely gesture towards Andre and Jota’s family. Football should unite not divide.”
A Chelsea fan wrote simply: “My club, classy as always.”
The Premier League will also honour the pair on the opening weekend of the new season.
All matches will begin with a minute’s silence, players will wear black armbands, and stadium screens will display tributes.
Jota’s impact on English football was significant. Across his time at Wolves and Liverpool, he made 190 Premier League appearances, scored 63 goals, and provided 24 assists. He was also a key figure in Liverpool’s title-winning squad last season.
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Diogo Jota helped Liverpool win the Premier League title last season before his tragic death at the age of 28 | PALiverpool captain Virgil van Dijk reflected on the emotional toll of the loss, stressing the importance of unity moving forward.
“It will be a very difficult season but we are all in this together,” he said.
“As a team, fans, club, it was always going to be a tough season with everything that happened with Diogo over the summer, but the only way to overcome it is togetherness and the collective.”