Wolves have inducted former forward Diogo Jota into their Hall of Fame “in a tribute that honours both his remarkable achievements for the club and the deep impact his passing has had on the footballing world”.
The Portugal international and his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva, who was also a footballer, died in a car crash on 3 July in the Spanish province of Zamora.
Jota moved to Wolves from Atletico Madrid in July 2017 – in a deal which was initially on a season-long loan and then made permanent – before going on to join Liverpool in 2020.
He scored 44 goals in 131 appearances for Wolves and was a key player when they won the Championship title in 2017-18 to earn promotion into the Premier League.
Jota also helped the Midlands club qualify for the Europa League with a seventh-placed finish during their first season back in the top-flight.
Wolves players and coaching staff have been among those to have contributed to the vast amount of tributes to Jota and Silva outside their Molineux stadium.
The club have now “moved swiftly to make this rare and heartfelt decision” to induct Jota into their Hall of Fame, which is run independently by a committee.
Wolves said such an honour is “typically the result of detailed discussions over many weeks or months” but, in Jota’s case, it was a unanimous decision considering “the remarkable legacy Diogo leaves behind”.
“There is such a feeling of sadness and disbelief around this awful tragedy that we wanted to make this tribute of our own as soon as we could,” said Wolves Hall of Fame chairman and club vice-president John Richards.
“Like everyone else, we’ve been stunned by events, and we remember what a wonderful player Diogo was for Wolves during that unforgettable promotion season under [manager] Nuno [Espirito Santo] and our early years back in the Premier League.
“So many fans across the game – especially in Portugal after he helped them win the Nations League this summer – are feeling his loss deeply. We saw no reason to delay this decision.
“We hope it will bring a little comfort to those who were close to Diogo and Andre, and we trust Wolves supporters will understand that this gesture is made with real love and admiration, and also fully justified.”
Wolves also plan to mark the passing of the brothers at their final pre-season friendly against Celta Vigo on Saturday, 9 August before the “main commemorations” at the side’s opening game of the Premier League season against Manchester City on Saturday, 16 August.
