Diogo Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, visited Anfield on Friday, July 11, marking her first public appearance after burying her husband and his brother, Andre Silva, last Saturday.

The Cardoso and Jota families have been mourning the deaths of the Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother, who tragically lost their lives in a car crash in Spain on July 3.

Condolences have been pouring in from fans, players, and the entire sports community since.

On Friday, Liverpool announced that they would retire the No. 20 shirt following consultations with Rute Cardoso and her family. The decision was made in recognition of Jota's significant contributions to the club's success over the last five seasons.

“It was vitally important to us to involve Diogo’s wife, Rute, and his family in the decision and to ensure they were the first to know of our intention," Michael Edwards, FSG CEO of Football said.

“I believe this is the first time in Liverpool Football Club’s history that such an honour has been bestowed upon an individual. Therefore, we can say this is a unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person."

Cardoso and Jota's family were also at Anfield to pay their respects to the siblings. In a video shared on social media, Cardoso is seen carrying a bouquet outside Anfield and was later joined by Liverpool players and staff.

She embraced two children as she gazed at the sea of flowers, scarves, football shirts, and heartfelt messages left for her husband.

Liverpool and Preston North End will pay tribute to Jota in their friendly clash on Sunday, July 13. It will be the first time Liverpool will be playing since their player's tragic death.

Fans were asked to be in their seats 15 minutes before kick-off, with tributes set to begin 10 minutes before kick-off, per Liverpool Echo.

Liverpool fans will sing the 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' anthem before North End's captain lays a wreath of flowers, followed by a minute of silence.

Players from both teams will also wear black armbands in honour of the brothers. Next season, Liverpool will continue paying tribute to their player, who made nearly 200 appearances for them since joining in 2020.

After facing Preston North End on Sunday, Arne Slot's side will travel to Asia for two friendly matches. They face AC Milan in Hong Kong on July 26 and then face Yokohama FM in Japan on July 30.

They will face Athletic Club in two games on August 4 before battling Crystal Palace in the Community Shield on August 10.

The 20-time Premier League champions kick off their season against Bournemouth on August 15.

In a related story, listed players who had their shirt numbers retired after Diogo Jota's at Liverpool.

Jude Bellingham's No.22 was retired at Birmingham City after he joined Borussia Dortmund. Marc-Vivien Foe's No.23 was also retired at Manchester City after his tragic death.

Other players who were honoured with jersey retirement include Emiliano Sala and Diego Maradona at Napoli.

Source: TUKO.co.ke