Trent Alexander-Arnold Finds Closure at Anfield After Diogo Jota's Tragic Death
Trent Alexander-Arnold has described his return to Anfield with Real Madrid as the moment he finally found “closure” after 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, a loss that rocked Liverpool and the wider game. Alexander-Arnold, by then a Real Madrid player, was thousands of miles away in the United States with his new club at the Club World Cup when the news broke.
That distance, he admitted, made the grief harder to carry.
“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.
“It was difficult, and then having to continue to play games and them being so far away was hard. But coming back to Anfield and being able to go to the stadium and put some flowers down really helped me get that closure.”
The right-back spent five seasons alongside Jota at Liverpool before his move to Madrid in 2025. Their relationship went far beyond sharing a dressing room. Alexander-Arnold said the pair spoke “every day” and bonded particularly during their battles back from injury.
“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. “We would always, you know, have different competitions between ourselves. Those are the kind of memories that I’ll hold close to me.”
For Alexander-Arnold, it is those small, relentless duels on the training pitches and in the gym that now linger: two elite professionals pushing each other, refusing to give an inch, turning rehab into rivalry.
Off the pitch, his description of Jota is simple and pointed.
“He was just a really good guy. Like he was very honest. That’s one of the best attributes that anybody can have. He was hardworking. He loved what he did, and was a massive family man.”
Liverpool have made sure that sense of Jota’s character lives on around Anfield. On the eve of the first anniversary of the crash, the club unveiled a permanent memorial to Jota and his brother at the stadium.
The sculpture, titled Forever 20, created by renowned sculptor Emma Rodgers, stands as a fixed reminder of a player who made a lasting mark in a short time. At its centre is a flowing heart, a direct nod to Jota’s trademark goal celebration.
“‘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,” Liverpool said in a statement.
For supporters, it is a place to pause on matchdays. For former teammates like Alexander-Arnold, it is something else as well: a physical anchor for memories that still feel painfully close.
