Tributes have been paid to Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva ahead of Liverpool's first match since their tragic passing.
Portuguese and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, along with his brother Andre Silva, who was also a professional footballer, tragically lost their lives in a car accident on July 3 in the Spanish province of Zamora.
Before Liverpool's initial pre-season friendly against Preston North End, emotional renditions of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love" and the Liverpool club anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" were performed.
During the latter, Preston captain Ben Whiteman, visibly moved, laid a wreath in front of the visiting Liverpool supporters.
The away section, adorned with flags and scarves in memory of the former Porto and Wolves player, sang Jota's song passionately as the players entered the field, followed by a respectfully observed minute of silence.
At the 20th minute mark, the crowd erupted into another rendition of Jota's song.
The match program featured a black and white photograph of Jota holding the Premier League trophy, alongside tributes to both him and his brother.
Liverpool has retired Jota's number 20 shirt throughout the club, making the announcement at 20:20 BST on Friday.
In his first interview following Jota's passing, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot told Liverpool TV, "If we want to laugh, we laugh; if we want to cry, we're going to cry. If they want to train, they can train; if they don't want to train, they don't have to. Be yourself, don't feel the need to act against your emotions. We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go."
Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool, contributing to their FA Cup and League Cup victories in 2022 and the Premier League title last season.
He played his final match for Portugal in their victory over Spain in the Nations League final on June 8, scoring 14 goals in 49 international appearances.
The Guardia Civil informed BBC Sport that Jota and his brother died after their Lamborghini veered off the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle.
The brothers were en route to the Spanish port of Santander so Jota could return to Liverpool for pre-season training.
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