Liverpool, United Kingdom (AFP)—Liverpool manager Arne Slot said Diogo Jota will be remembered as a “friend to everyone” after the Portuguese international died in a car crash on Thursday.

The 28-year-old died alongside his younger brother Andre after their vehicle veered off a motorway in northern Spain before bursting into flames.

Jota struck 65 times in 182 appearances since joining the Reds in 2020 and helped Liverpool win the Premier League in Slot’s first season in charge earlier this year.

“When the time is right, we will celebrate Diogo Jota, we will remember his goals and we will sing his song,” Slot said in a statement.

“For the time being, we will remember him as a unique human being and mourn his loss. He will never be forgotten.”

Jota wed his long-time partner and mother of his three children, Rute Cardoso, less than two weeks ago.

“My first thoughts are not those of a football manager. They are of a father, a son, a brother and an uncle and they belong to the family of Diogo and Andre Silva who have experienced such an unimaginable loss,” added Slot.

“My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone.

“The players, the staff, the supporters of Liverpool Football Club are all with you and from what I have seen today, the same can be said of the wider family of football.”

Jota, who was capped 49 times by his country, was a popular figure among the Liverpool support, who laid hundreds of bouquets of flowers, shirts and flags in tribute at the club’s Anfield Stadium.

“I could say so much about what he brought to our team but the truth is everyone who watched Diogo play could see it,” said Slot.

“Hard work, desire, commitment, great quality, goals. The essence of what a Liverpool player should be.

“There were also the parts that not everyone got to see. The person who never sought popularity but found it anyway. Not a friend to two people, a friend to everyone.

“Someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family.”