The esports community has paid tribute following the sudden and tragic passing of Diogo Jota, who passed away following a fatal car accident alongside his brother, André Silva, on Thursday morning
Jota was the owner of LUNA Esports, formerly known as Diogo Jota Esports or LUNA Galaxy. The Portuguese International and Liverpool forward had also been a prolific EA FC/FIFA player, amongst the best in Europe in several leaderboards, featuring in prominent EA FC content such as collaborations with AJ3, bateson87, and playing against Alex ‘Shawrey’ Shaw of Hashtag United fame.
ACF Fiorentina goalkeeper, David De Gea, founder & owner of Spanish esports organisation, Rebels Gaming, also shared his heartbreak at the passing of Jota. The ex-Manchester United goalkeeper tweeted, “Sometimes life is too cruel.”
Diogo Jota had “genuine love for video games”
ESL’s Michael ‘CARMAC’ Blicharz echoed Jota’s love for esports and gaming, stating, “Tragic. I got to know Diogo a bit through esports, and he was a warm, friendly person with a genuine love for video games. Loved him as a player for Liverpool. RIP Diogo.”
Complexity General Manager, Graham ‘messioso’ Pitt, echoed CARMAC’s statements in a tweet reply, adding “Likewise, did some shows with him a few years ago when he was supporting LFC’s Fifa players in the ePrem. Really genuine guy.”
Qayser Sachdev, Team Vitality’s Senior Esports Manager & Strategic CS2 Lead, also replied to CARMAC’s tweet, reflecting, “Absolutely tragic. Our interactions were fleeting, but that was enough to be struck by his humility, warmth and his genuine passion for EAFC and his esports team.”
A passion for esports
Interviewed on Sky News, Ste Hoare, a member of the prominent Liverpool YouTube fan channel, RedmenTV, reflected on Jota’s time in Liverpool and noted his personal affection and passion for esports when paying tribute to the 28-year-old.
“Behind the scenes, he was always very courteous and very pleasant. He was a big advocate and fan of esports stuff. Sometimes we would be involved. One of our colleagues, Chloe, played against him at FIFA and things like that. He was really keen on that kind of stuff… It’s just heartbreaking.”
Counter-Strike caster and Liverpool fan, Neo ‘NeoKai’ Caine, added to the tributes, stating, “I don’t post that much about football on here, but as a Liverpool fan and a big Jota supporter, it’s so tragic. Also had genuine love for Esports, a very decent FIFA player and an all-round nice bloke.”
Ben Woodword, founder of esports talent agency Code Red Esports, also paid tribute, noting his attendance of EWC 24, where he watched Counter-Strike 2.
NaVi performance Coach Urszula ‘Xirreth’ Klimczak added her condolences. Jota had met NaVi when they won the Esports World Cup 2024 Counter-Strike 2 trophy.
Further tributes from EA FC community
LUNA Esports EA FC player, Rawuel ‘RaquelTy’ Martinho, shared the following message (translated), “Today is a sad day. It is an honor to be part of the project led by an incredible person. Rest in peace”
EA FC/FIFA YouTuber Jake Buckley, AKA MasterBucks, paid tribute, calling Jota “one of the nicest and most down-to-earth footballers I have ever met.”
Cadiz FC celebrated Jota for his role in football and esports.
Darragh Harbinson is an esports writer specialising in Counter-Strike. He has written for Esports News UK, Esports Insider, UKCSGO, Dexerto, and Rush B Media.