One year on from the car accident that killed Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, Liverpool have given them something that outlasts grief: a permanent home at Anfield.
The club unveiled 'Forever 20' on 97 Avenue — a sculpture by Emma Rodgers built around a flowing heart design, the same gesture Jota made every time he scored for the Reds. His number 20 and Silva's number 30 are engraved into it. So are the lyrics to his famous Liverpool song.
What the memorial actually looks like
The piece sits on a Granby Rock-faced stone plinth bearing both brothers' names, the words 'Forever 20,' and YNWA. The base reads: "He will take us to victory. Oh, his name is Diogo."
What makes it land harder than a standard club tribute are the details set into the wax — sections of scarves and shirts left by supporters, a single fan-left flower cast in bronze, and a PlayStation controller on the plinth. That last one is pure Jota. Anyone who watched him celebrate knew exactly what it meant.
The back of the memorial explains the thinking behind the design: "Some of these tributes are contained within the sculpture and plinth via a unique manufacturing process. It means they are forever embedded." Personal mementoes left at Anfield by fans from across the world, physically locked inside the structure. There's something quietly powerful about that.
A club still carrying the loss
Liverpool retired the number 20 before the 2025-26 season began. No one else will wear it. The memorial is the next step — moving the tribute from gesture to permanence.
"'Forever 20' will serve as a permanent symbol of love, unity and remembrance," the club wrote in their statement, "and a place where everyone can reflect, remember and pay their respects."
Jota spent five seasons on Merseyside. He was 28 when he died. The sculpture will be there long after anyone who watched him play has stopped going to matches.
