Anfield Unveils ‘Forever 20’ Memorial for Diogo Jota and Andre Silva 2026

Key Points

• Liverpool Football Club has unveiled a permanent memorial for Diogo Jota and his brother Andre (André) Silva on 97 Avenue at Anfield ahead of the first anniversary of their deaths.
• The tribute, named “Forever 20”, stands close to the Main Stand on the site where thousands of supporters gathered to leave flowers, scarves and messages after the tragedy.
• Designed by sculptor Emma Rodgers, the memorial features a flowing heart inspired by Jota’s trademark goal celebration; from different angles it reveals the numbers 20 and 30 and incorporates lyrics from the Kop song sung in Jota’s honour.
• The club said the memorial will serve as a permanent symbol of love, unity and remembrance, offering a place where fans and the families can reflect.
• Items left by supporters after the tragedy have been preserved in wax and embedded into the structure; the stone plinth is made from Portuguese stone sourced from Gondomar, the brothers’ home city.
• A bronze cast of a single flower and a PlayStation controller are included, recognising Jota’s passion for competitive gaming and esports.
• Liverpool had already retired the No. 20 shirt across all of its teams following Jota’s death, meaning the number will never be worn again by any Liverpool player.
• The unveiling took place on 3 July 2026, the first anniversary of the road traffic accident in Spain that claimed the lives of Jota and Silva.
• In an official statement, Liverpool said: “Liverpool FC pauses in remembrance of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva today,” and described July 3 as marking the first anniversary of the tragic accident.
• The club referred to Jota as “forever our No.20, our lad from Portugal” and said the memorial provides a “permanent area for remembrance and reflection”.

Anfield (Liverpool Standard) July 03, 2026 – Liverpool have unveiled a permanent memorial to Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, at uk/local/anfield/">Anfield on the eve of the first anniversary of their tragic deaths in a road traffic accident in Spain.

The “Forever 20” tribute stands on 97 Avenue, close to the Main Stand, where supporters gathered in the days after the crash to leave flowers, scarves and personal tributes. The location was chosen because thousands of fans came to the site to express their grief and pay their respects, creating an informal place of remembrance that the club has now formalised into a lasting memorial.

As reported by Goal in a list titled

“Liverpool confirm decision to permanently retire the No. 20 shirt ‘across all levels’ in memory of Portuguese star Diogo Jota”,

the club said the memorial will stand as a permanent symbol of love, unity and remembrance while providing a place where supporters can reflect and pay their respects.

What does the Forever 20 memorial look like and who designed it?

The memorial was designed by sculptor Emma Rodgers and features a flowing heart inspired by Jota’s trademark goal celebration. Viewed from different angles, the structure reveals the numbers 20 and 30, representing Diogo Jota’s No. 20 at Liverpool and Andre Silva’s number, while also incorporating lyrics from the song regularly sung by the Kop in Jota’s honour.

In addition to the heart sculpture, the memorial includes several personal touches celebrating the brothers’ lives. Items left by supporters after the tragedy have been preserved in wax and embedded into the structure, and the stone plinth is made from Portuguese stone sourced from their home city of Gondomar. A bronze cast of a single flower and a PlayStation controller are also included, recognising Jota’s passion for competitive gaming and esports.

Why did Liverpool choose 97 Avenue for the memorial?

Liverpool chose 97 Avenue because it was the place where thousands of supporters gathered to leave flowers, scarves and personal tributes in the days after Jota and Silva’s deaths. The area had already become a spontaneous focal point for mourning and remembrance, with fans travelling to Anfield to stand where the club and its community had first come together in the aftermath of the tragedy.

By placing the memorial on 97 Avenue, close to the Main Stand, the club has transformed an informal gathering place into a formal, permanent site of remembrance that can be used by fans and the brothers’ family in the years to come. As noted by Goal, the location was chosen specifically because of the sheer volume of tributes left there and the emotional significance it held for supporters.

What did Liverpool say in its official statement on the anniversary?

In an official statement published on the club website, Liverpool said: “Liverpool FC pauses in remembrance of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva today,” and described 3 July as marking the first anniversary of the tragic road traffic accident in Spain in which the Reds forward and his brother passed away.

The club stated that a

“poignant new memorial in the brothers’ honour has been unveiled on 97 Avenue outside the stadium, providing a permanent area for remembrance and reflection”.

Liverpool also recalled that the number 20 shirt that Jota wore for the club “was immediately retired by the club across all of its teams” and that “he will forever be our No.20, our lad from Portugal”.

As reported by ESPN, Liverpool confirmed they will retire the No. 20 shirt in honour of Jota, who died in a car crash alongside his brother André (Andre) Silva.

How has Liverpool already honoured Jota through shirt retirement?

Liverpool had already retired the No. 20 shirt across all of its teams following Jota’s death, meaning no Liverpool player will ever wear the number 20 again. The decision was described by the club as a “unique tribute to a uniquely wonderful person” and applies to the men’s team as well as all other Liverpool FC teams.

As reported by the Mirror, “No Liverpool player will ever wear the number 20 shirt again, after Anfield bosses confirmed Diogo Jota’s shirt will be permanently retired”. This makes the memorial on 97 Avenue a complementary element of a broader strategy to immortalise Jota’s legacy at the club: the retired number ensures his identity as No. 20 is fixed in the club’s history, while the memorial provides a physical space for ongoing remembrance.

What personal elements are included in the memorial design?

The memorial includes several personal touches celebrating the brothers’ lives beyond the heart sculpture and the numbers 20 and 30. Items left by supporters after the tragedy have been preserved in wax and embedded into the structure, capturing fragments of the community’s grief and affection in the design itself.

The stone plinth is made from Portuguese stone sourced from Gondomar, the brothers’ home city, linking the memorial directly to their roots in Portugal. A bronze cast of a single flower and a PlayStation controller are also included, recognising Jota’s passion for competitive gaming and esports and acknowledging the multi-faceted nature of his identity beyond football.

Background of the memorial development

The memorial development follows the tragic death of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre (André) Silva in a road traffic accident in Spain in early July 2025. The accident, which claimed both lives, prompted an immediate and widespread mourning reaction from Liverpool fans, players and staff, as well as from the broader football community.

In the days after the crash, thousands of supporters gathered on 97 Avenue outside Anfield to leave flowers, scarves and messages, turning the area into an informal shrine. The club subsequently announced that it would retire the No. 20 shirt across all of its teams, a move described by ESPN and the Independent as a historic and emotional decision.

The decision to create a permanent memorial on 97 Avenue was taken as the first anniversary of the deaths approached, with the club aiming to formalise the spontaneous place of remembrance into a lasting tribute. Sculptor Emma Rodgers was commissioned to design the “Forever 20” structure, which incorporates personal elements such as wax-embedded tributes, Portuguese stone from Gondomar, and symbols of Jota’s gaming interests.

Prediction: How this development can affect Liverpool supporters and the wider football community

The unveiling of the Forever 20 memorial is likely to have a lasting impact on Liverpool supporters by providing a fixed, accessible place where they can continue to pay their respects as years pass. For many fans, the site on 97 Avenue already carries deep emotional weight as the place where the community first came together; the memorial will reinforce that significance and may become a regular destination for individuals and groups visiting Anfield, particularly on anniversaries and significant dates.

The combination of the memorial and the retired No. 20 shirt is expected to strengthen Jota’s symbolic presence within the club’s identity, ensuring that new generations of fans associate the number 20 permanently with his legacy. For the wider football community, Liverpool’s approach may set a precedent for how clubs respond to tragic deaths of players, balancing immediate gestures such as shirt retirement with longer-term, physical memorials that can serve as enduring points of collective remembrance.

For supporters in Pakistan and other regions far from Anfield, such as yourself in Islamabad, the story of the memorial and the retired shirt may deepen emotional connections to Liverpool as a club that visibly values its players as people rather than simply as assets, reinforcing the sense of belonging many fans feel despite geographical distance.