Trent Alexander-Arnold Reflects on Diogo Jota's Legacy at Anfield

Trent Alexander-Arnold has revealed how a return to Anfield after his move to Real Madrid helped him finally process the death of former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota.

Jota and his brother Andre Silva were killed in a car crash in Spain in July 2025. Alexander-Arnold was thousands of miles away in the United States with Real Madrid for the Club World Cup when the news broke, cut off from the tight-knit Liverpool circle that had shared a dressing room with the Portugal forward for five seasons.

"I think that's what was difficult… going through it on your own," he told the Sunday Mirror. "Everybody else who had known him for that amount of time were all grouped together."

He kept playing. The games kept coming. The grief stayed with him.

"It was difficult, and then having to continue to play games and them being so far away was hard," he said. The distance from Anfield, and from the people who knew Jota best, weighed heavily.

The turning point came when he finally walked back through the gates at Anfield. No fanfare. No matchday roar. Just a former Liverpool vice-captain, back at the place where so much of his life and career had unfolded, needing to say goodbye properly.

"But coming back to Anfield and being able to go to the stadium and put some flowers down really helped me get that closure," he explained.

Alexander-Arnold and Jota had shared five seasons together on Merseyside before the England right-back completed his move to Real Madrid in 2025. They were close. Not just colleagues, but daily companions in the grind of elite football.

Alexander-Arnold said the pair spoke "every day" and lit up when recalling their competitive edge, especially during rehab sessions when both were injured.

"I was injured a couple of times when he was and we were doing our training to get back fit together, and we were both very competitive," he said. Those days in the gym and on the training pitches, away from the cameras, forged a bond.

"We would always, you know, have different competitions between ourselves. Those are the kind of memories that I’ll hold close to me."

The memories are not just of a finisher in front of goal, but of the person behind the No.20 shirt.

"He was just a really good guy. Like he was very honest. That’s one of the best attributes that anybody can have," Alexander-Arnold said. "He was hardworking. He loved what he did, and was a massive family man."

Liverpool have worked to ensure Jota’s legacy remains rooted at Anfield. On the eve of the first anniversary of the crash, the club installed a permanent memorial to Jota and his brother at the stadium.

The sculpture, titled Forever 20, was created by renowned artist Emma Rodgers. At its centre stands a flowing heart, a direct nod to Jota’s trademark goal celebration that became a familiar sight on the Kop.

In a statement, Liverpool said: "’Forever 20’ will serve as a permanent symbol of love, unity and remembrance, and a place where everyone can reflect, remember and pay their respects."

For Alexander-Arnold, the memorial and that quiet moment with flowers at the stadium did not erase the loss. But they anchored his grief to a place that will always feel like home.