Diogo Jota joins list of crash victims honoured with jersey retirement

By Olaolu Joseph –

As the football world mourns the tragic passing of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, the club has become the sixth to retire the jersey number of a player who died in similar circumstances.

Jota, along with his brother Andre Silva, died in a fatal accident in Spain early Thursday morning, just days after his wedding.

Following his burial on Saturday, the Anfield-based club announced the retirement of jersey number 20, which the Portuguese star wore during his time at Liverpool.

Below is a list of players who died in car or plane crashes and were honoured with jersey retirements by their clubs:

1. Federico Pisani – Died in a car crash on February 12, 1997, at the age of 22 while driving his BMW 320 convertible. His girlfriend also died in the crash, while two friends survived. Atalanta BC retired his number 14 jersey in his honour.
2. Ray Jones – Passed away at age 18 on August 25, 2007, in a car accident when his Volkswagen Golf collided with a double-decker bus in East Ham. Queens Park Rangers retired his number 31 jersey in tribute.
3. Junior Malanda – The 20-year-old died on January 10, 2015, when the car he was travelling in crashed in Germany. VfL Wolfsburg honoured him by retiring his number 19 jersey.
4. José Antonio Reyes – At age 35, the former Arsenal star died in a car crash on June 1, 2019, while travelling between his hometown Utrera and Seville. Spanish side Extremadura UD retired his number 19 jersey.
5. Emiliano Sala – The 28-year-old died in a plane crash on January 21, 2019, while travelling from Nantes to Cardiff. French club FC Nantes retired his number 9 jersey.
6. Diogo Jota – The most recent player to suffer a tragic end. Liverpool honoured his memory by retiring his jersey number 20, making him the sixth player to receive such tribute following a fatal accident.