Former Liverpool vice-captain James Milner has revealed a touching tribute to his late teammate Diogo Jota, after he sadly died in a car accident last month along with his brother, André Silva.
The 28-year-old was on his way back to England to join up with the Liverpool team for pre-season after being advised against flying due to recent lung surgery.
The pair had just crossed the Spanish border when one of the wheels on the Portuguese star’s Lamborghini caught fire, diverting the vehicle off the road.
Jota, who married childhood sweetheart Ruto Cardoso just 11 days prior to the accident, left behind three young children.
James Milner won the FA Cup with Diogo Jota in 2022
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Tributes poured in after the tragedy, with Liverpool retiring the No20 shirt in memory of their forward.
The Reds played their first pre-season game on July 13, just days after hearing the news, which saw a spine-tingling rendition of the club’s anthem ‘You Will Never Walk Alone’ sang by Claudia Rose Maguire.
Preston captain Ben Whiteman also laid a wreath in front of the travelling Liverpool supporters.
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Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in memory of Diogo Jota in a touching tribute to the Portuguese
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Milner has become the latest to pay tribute to his old teammate, showing his class by changing the number on the back of his shirt at Brighton to Jota’s No20.
Speaking to Brighton’s social media channels, Milner said: “Yeah, once I heard Carlos [Baleba] was looking to change his number and 20 was available I wanted to do it as a mark of respect and obviously pay tribute to Diogo Jota.
“He was an amazing player I was fortunate to play with and a great friend as well.
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“It would be an honour to wear his shirt in the Premier League this year.”
The number became available after teammate Carlos Baleba decided to change his squad number to No17.
In the process, Milner vacated the No6, which has been taken by Paul van Hecke.
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James Milner said 'it would be an honour' to wear Diogo Jota's shirt number
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The 39-year-old veteran played for Liverpool alongside Jota between 2020 and 2023 before his move to Brighton.
The pair won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup together.
Jota’s untimely death sent shockwaves throughout the footballing community and many of whom made the journey on short notice to the Portuguese’s hometown for the brothers’ funeral.
One of which is international teammate and Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot, who recently spoke on the tragedy and described the late striker as a "role model".
"I played a lot of years with him in the national team and spent time with him, so you create a connection and memories,” he said. "That's what I want to keep, the good memories.
"I don't think there are any words to describe it when such a tragedy happens like that. It hits you.
"I felt the whole world felt it, even if they didn't know him personally. He was someone who was a role model for me.”