As a sports fan and football (soccer) fan today is a very sad waking up to news of the tragic passing of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, a footballer as well. It is something that makes me feel sick to my stomach, and a reminder how fleeting life and that someone who was living his best life on top of the World both professionally and personally.

Diogo played for my team of Liverpool FC, he was our forward and a player who was not one for the headlines and a flashy player but he was a player who would give their all and make something of nothing. If you needed a goal he was the substitution you made, typified by a headed goal this season against Nottingham Forest 22 seconds after coming onto the pitch. His first touch, a goal.

I feel absolutely sick and emotional that he is completely gone, when you read the media how he was traveling to the port to catch a ferry to return to Liverpool for pre-season – being unable to fly due to recovery from surgery making the change in air pressure a risk. A season to look forward to and the best years ahead, all gone in an instant due to an accident with a burst tyre. How quickly life can change and a young wife and three children left without a husband, father and uncle. Parents mourning the loss of two sons under 30.

A Summer of his life coming off winning a 20th Premier League with Liverpool and winning the UEFA Nations League with Portugal, capped off with marrying his childhood sweetheart less than two weeks ago. Life is very unfair at times.

For now we as humans, fans and supporters shall mourn the loss of our Diogo but in time we will come to celebrate him and he will always be our number 20 who helped us lift our 20th league title. Forever etched into our club and a part of folklore. I cant wait to hear his name chanted every game and his memory live on, I hope the club retires his shirt. A poetic beauty in our #20 lifting #20.

In sporting terms it was shaping up to be a Summer to remember and an exciting season to come with the squad building on the success of last season, now sport is unimportant and rightly so. It is just a game after all and a sombre few weeks and months to come but you know his teammates are going to play with him in their hearts and play each game as he did alongside them. Gone but never forgotten, both Diogo and his family have our motto with them “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.

His name was Diogo