Virgil van Dijk Sends Heartfelt Diogo Jota Message Ahead of Emotional Wolves Clash

The Portugal international’s two sons will attend Saturday’s game as mascots.

Diogo Jota’s former employers face off on Saturday. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

Liverpool centre back Virgil van Dijk has confessed the squad are still coming to terms with the loss of teammate Diogo Jota as they prepare for Saturday’s meeting with his former employers, Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Jota passed away in a car accident in Spain during the summer alongside his brother André Silva, with Wolves joining Liverpool in paying tribute to the Portugal international. The Midlands outfit brought Jota to England in the summer of 2017 and sold him to Liverpool three years later.

The two sides will face off for the first time since the tragic accident on Saturday. Jota’s sons, Dinis and Duarte, will join the matchday mascots for the fixture, before which Van Dijk opened up on the impact Jota’s passing has had on the squad.

“Saturday marks our last fixture of 2025 and when I reflect back on the year there have been a wide range of emotions for everybody at the club,” Van Dijk wrote in the match programme. “There have been some incredible highs, of course.

“To become Premier League champions, as we did back in April, was incredible. Lifting that trophy in front of you guys at Anfield is a memory that I will never forget, I can assure you. It was a real team effort and a deserved reward for a season of hard work, on and off the pitch.

“Soon after that, though, came the most devastating of lows. The loss of Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva in July was something none of us could ever have prepared for, and something all of us are still coming to terms with.

“Our thoughts, as ever, remain with Diogo and André’s family. They will never, ever be forgotten, and we will carry their memory always.”

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Arne Slot: Hopefully Love for Jota Comforts Family

Wolves have paid plenty of tributes to Jota. / Visionhaus/Getty Images

While both Liverpool and Wolves have plenty riding on the fixture—the Reds are battling back into a top-four race and Wolves are locked in a desperate relegation fight—manager Arne Slot urged both sets of supporters to come together and offer their support for Jota’s family this winter.

“Reflecting on everything that has happened over the last 12 months ignites a rollercoaster of emotions but it is normal at this time of year to look back to everything that has happened,” Slot said in his own notes.

“Doing so leads me to think especially of the family of Diogo Jota on what will be their first Christmas without him.

“It is not my place to tell them where they should look for comfort—if that is even possible—but I can only hope that the feeling of love and affection that Diogo still generates brings them some solace.”

Saturday’s game will bring an end to 2025 for Liverpool, who resume proceedings in 2026 with a visit from Leeds United on Jan. 1.

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