Man City stars pay tribute to Diogo Jota as football world in shock at Liverpool player’s death

it is a very sad day for football fans everywhere a day nobody wanted to see a day that makes you stop and think about how short and fragile life is because diogo jota is dead at just 28 years old and that news is hitting everyone very hard across the world it is hard to believe it it is hard to even say it because he was just here smiling playing football scoring goals making people cheer and now he is gone forever the whole football community is in shock

the news says diogo jota died in a car crash in spain along with his brother andre they were both so young with so much life ahead of them they say he only just got married not long ago he had three small kids who will now grow up without their dad it is so painful to think about that you cant even imagine what his wife and children are feeling now how do you even begin to explain to them that he is never coming home again

and it is not just liverpool fans who are feeling the pain today it is everyone because this is bigger than football rivalries bigger than competition manchester city players who have battled against him many times who know how good he was and how hard he fought they all took time to share their sadness to pay tribute to him because even if you fight on the pitch you respect the person and today everyone is united in grief

manchester city as a club put out a message online saying how sorry they are how they send condolences to his family and friends it was a short statement but very heartfelt you could tell it came from the heart because this is not something you can prepare for one minute you are planning for pre season games the next you are reading that someone you played against last season is gone forever

but it was not just the official club account it was the players themselves who really showed how much they cared jack grealish went on instagram and he sounded completely broken he said honestly lost for words so heartbreaking my thoughts go out to his whole family the worst news rip diogo and andre you could almost hear the pain in those words jack is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve he knows what it is to lose people he loves he is the kind of guy who says what he feels and in that moment he felt total shock and sadness

ilkay gundogan even though he is no longer at city he took time to share the premier leagues tribute and wrote rest in peace diogo with three broken heart emojis sometimes you dont need to write a lot just those few words and the broken hearts say everything you need to know they show the human side of these footballers who are often seen as tough and invincible but who feel pain just like anyone else

oscar bobb is one of the younger players in the squad but he also posted a picture of diogo and his brother with a prayer emoji and two doves it was so simple but so powerful because the picture was them alive smiling you look at it and you think they should still be here they should still be smiling not gone in an instant in a crash on a road somewhere in spain

josko gvardiol went for a different kind of tribute he posted a grayed out image of jota playing for liverpool no color just black and white it was haunting in its own way because it made you think of how all the color has gone from his life how the joy and energy he brought to football and to his family has been stolen by something so senseless and cruel

this is what makes football special and terrible at the same time on the pitch these players are rivals they fight they tackle they argue they try to beat each other they play for different cities for different sets of fans they want to win but off the pitch they are all just people with families with dreams with fears and when something like this happens it reminds everyone that those lines dont matter at all

people forget that footballers spend a lot of time around each other even if they play for rival teams they see each other in international duty they have the same agents the same sponsors the same events they talk they laugh they joke they are part of the same world so when one of them dies especially like this it hits them all hard because it could have been any of them they all travel they all drive they all take holidays they all have families waiting at home

and you could see that in how the tributes kept coming not just from city but from players all over the world from other premier league clubs from portugal where he was so loved from liverpool of course where the fans were in tears leaving scarves and flowers outside anfield and writing messages that would break your heart saying thank you diogo for everything we will never forget you

because diogo jota was not just any player he was brilliant he was so good at what he did he made people jump up from their seats he scored goals that meant everything to his team he had that hunger that edge that made him special he fought for every ball he annoyed defenders he was clever and ruthless in the box he could make something from nothing he was the kind of player you hate to play against but love to have on your team

and for liverpool fans he was part of that special group who won big things he lifted trophies he gave them memories they will hold forever and now those memories are bittersweet because they will think of him scoring at anfield with his arms outstretched smiling at the crowd and they will know they will never see that again

people talk about rivalries in football city and liverpool have had one of the most intense ones in recent years they pushed each other to the limit they had battles that defined seasons they went toe to toe for titles but today none of that matters nobody cares about the points or the trophies or the banter today they are all just people mourning the loss of someone taken way too soon

that is why you saw city fans even the most die hard ones say how sorry they are that their thoughts are with his family because football is nothing without the people who play it and when one of them dies it is like losing a piece of the game itself

the crash that killed diogo and his brother andre happened in spain details are still coming out but for their family it doesn’t matter how it happened the only thing that matters is that they are gone and there is nothing anyone can do to bring them back

imagine being his wife hearing the phone ring and finding out the father of your kids is never coming home imagine those kids growing up with just memories and pictures and stories about how great their dad was it is the kind of heartbreak you would not wish on anyone

and footballers know this they know it could be them they live a life of travel of risk of constant movement they get in cars and planes all the time they hug their families goodbye and they expect to come back they never think this will be the last time

that is why these tributes matter they are not just polite gestures they are real moments of grief of solidarity of respect they are reminders that even though these players live in a world of money and fame and adoration they are still human beings who love and lose just like the rest of us

manchester city players paying tribute was important because it showed that respect that humanity that sense that we are all in this together that today there is no blue or red no city or liverpool just people who loved playing football and loved diogo jota for the player and the man he was

people will talk about his goals his stats his trophies but those closest to him will remember the way he smiled the way he laughed the way he made them feel safe and loved and proud they will remember the dad the brother the husband the son not just the footballer

and that is why football matters because it brings people together in grief as well as in joy it gives us heroes but also teaches us humility it makes us cheer but also makes us cry today the whole football world is crying together

you can imagine the city dressing room when they heard the news maybe someone read it out loud maybe there was silence maybe some of them cried maybe they sat there not knowing what to say these are strong men used to dealing with pressure with noise with expectations but this is something different something nobody trains you for

and now as pre season begins as teams get ready for another year of battles you know this will stay with them they will shake hands with liverpool players and they will look them in the eye and they will both know they lost someone special someone who made them all better by competing at the highest level

because that is the thing about losing someone like diogo jota it doesn’t just take away his goals his assists his runs it takes away the competition the challenge the reason you have to be better it leaves a hole in the sport itself

and as the news spreads as more tributes come in from all over the world from former teammates from managers from fans from people who watched him on tv you realise just how big his impact was how many lives he touched how many kids wanted to be like him how many parents were proud to buy shirts with his name on the back

football will go on it always does the matches will be played the goals will be scored the trophies will be lifted but for everyone who knew diogo jota for everyone who watched him and cheered him on there will be a moment of sadness a moment of silence when they remember what was lost

and for manchester city players and fans there will be respect there will be condolences there will be the understanding that even the fiercest rivalries are nothing compared to the value of a human life that when the whistle blows the game ends but life goes on and sometimes it ends too soon

so rest in peace diogo jota gone at 28 but never forgotten remembered not just for the goals or the glory but for the man he was for the love he gave for the family he cherished for the smiles he brought to so many faces and for the way he brought people together even in death because today city and liverpool and everyone else stand side by side united in grief and love and respect for one of their own taken too soon