Former Liverpool striker Diogo Jota was laid to rest alongside his brother Andre Silva on Saturday morning, as family, friends, teammates and fans gathered in their hundreds for the siblings' funeral in Gondomar.

The service commemorated two young men who cruelly lost their lives in a car accident in the early hours of Thursday morning, leading to a flood of tributes from professionals past and present, as well as esteemed public and political figures.

Jota was in the prime of his life both on and off the field at the time of his devastating death, having just become a Premier League winner with Liverpool, a Nations League champion with Portugal, but above all, a husband to the mother of his three young children.

Liverpool and the entire footballing landscape are still coming to terms with the heartbreaking turn of events, but once the initial shock has worn off, plans can be put in place to remember Jota and his brother permanently.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Liverpool, the Premier League and other clubs/governing bodies could honour Jota in the months to come.

Retiring the number 20 and number 18 shirts

Within hours of the gut-wrenching news being confirmed, many Liverpool fans took to social media to express their view that Jota's iconic number 20 shirt should be retired.

The former Atletico Madrid and Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker lifted title number 20 with the number 20 on his back, the one shirt he sported all throughout his time at Anfield.

Liverpool have announced that Jota's number 20 jersey will be "immortalised", while his old club Wolves have also been asked by supporters to retire the '18' that the striker wore during his four seasons at Molineux.

There have been couple of high-profile cases of English teams retiring shirt numbers following a player's premature death; Manchester City did so in 2003 after their number 23 at the time - Marc-Vivien Foe - lost his life during the Confederations Cup.

Millwall also took their number 20 shirt out of service last year in the wake of goalkeeper Matija Sarkic's passing, and West Ham United retired the '38' after Dylan Tombides died from testicular cancer in 2014.

Liverpool and Wolves, meanwhile, are yet to officially retire any shirt number.

Moments of silence

A traditional way to remember the dead, moments of silence have already been held across the globe for the Jota brothers, both prior to matches and during training sessions.

Such periods of reflection were observed before every Women's Euro 2025 match on Thursday and Friday, including in the meeting between their native Portugal and Iberian neighbours Spain, where the siblings lost their lives.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino also confirmed that minutes' silences would also take place before every Club World Cup quarter-final, where some of Jota's closest compatriots - Al-Hilal's Ruben Neves and Chelsea's Pedro Neto - were among the on-field mourners.

Before taking to the field for the first time since Jota's death, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were also pictured taking part in a moment's reflection during their Thursday training sessions following confirmation of the sickening news.

If Portugal progress further in the Women's Euros, it is possible that more minutes' silences will be held before their future matches, while Liverpool will likely observe multiple on-field tributes in their matches to come.

The Reds' first pre-season comes against Preston North End at Deepdale on July 13, before their first match back at Anfield on August 4 vs. Athletic Bilbao, where periods of silence are expected to be held.

Jota should also be remembered before the Community Shield against Crystal Palace at Wembley on August 10, as well as at Liverpool's first Premier League game of the season vs. Bournemouth at home five days later.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese men's national team face Armenia and Hungary away from home in September's World Cup qualifiers - a moment's silence should be held before the former match - as well as in the build-up to their next home game against the Republic of Ireland on October 11.

Stadium memorials

Physical mementos lasting longer than a lifetime could also be erected by Liverpool, Portugal and any of Jota's former clubs in the coming weeks and months, including both in and outside Anfield.

The 20-time English champions have already named one stand after a player - the legendary Sir Kenny Dalglish - and the idea of naming another stand, or even the club's training ground, after Jota has been mooted.

In addition, fans could pay tribute to the late striker through the use of banners or flags, which could be permanently installed at their respective venues or feature prominently during matchdays.

Statues outside stadiums are another way to remember a club's legendary figures and those gone far too soon; one notable example is Miklos Feher.

The Hungarian striker was playing for Benfica in 2004 when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a game and died shortly afterwards; Benfica subsequently commemorated him with a memorial at the Estadio da Luz, where a statue features prominently alongside some of Feher's kit and medals.

Tribute/charity matches

Before enjoying the finest years of his career at Liverpool, Jota began his footballing career with hometown club Gondomar and also represented Pacos de Ferreira, as did his late brother Andre Silva.

The latter left Gondomar for Penafiel - the club he represented at the time of his death - in 2023, and while Liverpool would not ordinarily meet Penafiel, Gondomar or Pacos in competitive circumstances, a friendly tribute/charity match could be set up.

The contest could take place as a one-off event or a recurring match to raise funds for causes close to the hearts of Jota and his family, including the Diogo Jota Football Academy set up by the Portugal international in Gondomar three years ago.

Whichever route Liverpool go down to remember Jota and his brother, a club that had already experienced previous devastating losses of life are sure to pay tribute to their number 20 and his beloved sibling in the most meaningful and most respectful of ways.

Written by
Ben Knapton