Diogo Jota tribute marks Liverpool’s emotional return

Deepdale united in sorrow and song

Diogo Jota tribute led Liverpool’s first outing of pre-season, turning a routine friendly against Preston North End into a moving celebration of the late Portuguese forward’s life. Before kick-off, both squads formed a guard of honour while a giant banner bearing Jota’s image was unfurled in the away end. An impeccably observed minute’s silence followed a floral wreath-laying ceremony on the centre circle, offered jointly by Preston captain Alan Browne and Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk.

Number 20 forever retired

The club confirmed that Jota’s No. 20 shirt will never be worn again. A spotlight illuminated the vacant jersey on the touchline as Anfield’s Kop anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, drifted across Deepdale. Choruses of “Diogo, Diogo” rang out on the 20-minute mark, creating a spine-tingling moment that clearly moved manager Jürgen Klopp and the entire bench.

Youth players step up in his honour

On the pitch, Liverpool’s youngsters seized their chance. Ben Doak opened the scoring with a sharp finish, pointing skyward in dedication. Bobby Clark doubled the lead before half-time, while a late Preston consolation merely trimmed a 2-1 final scoreline that felt secondary to the occasion.

Community support transcends rivalry

Outside the stadium, club foundations collected donations for Jota’s preferred charities in Porto and Merseyside. Hundreds of Preston supporters contributed, underscoring football’s power to unite beyond club colours.

Opinion: Mourning through football’s language

Moments like this remind us why the sport matters: goals fade, but collective memory endures. Liverpool and Preston showed that grief can be voiced through applause, song and shared silence—a universal dialect only football speaks so fluently.