Pep Guardiola cuts emotional figure in beautiful Wolves tributes to Diogo Jota

Wolves paid tribute to former player Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash alongside his brother in July, ahead of their first match of the new Premier League season against Manchester City

Pep Guardiola was visibly emotional as tributes were paid to the late Diogo Jota ahead of Wolves’ clash with Manchester City. Jota, 28, tragically died in a car crash in July alongside his younger brother, Andre Silva.

The Portuguese forward spent three years at Wolves before moving to Liverpool in 2020. Saturday’s fixture was their first competitive match since his passing and Wolves marked the occasion prior to kick-off.

A tifo of Jota was raised on the South Bank, as all inside Molineux took part in a minute’s applause. The camera panned to City boss Guardiola, who was clearly moved as he stood and applauded alongside his team of coaching staff.

In attendance was also Portugal manager Roberto Martinez and former Wolves star Ruben Neves. Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, and the couple’s three children were at Anfield on Friday, as more poignant tributes were paid.

Wolves produced a special 100-page commemorative programme for the game, as they hosted City to get their 2025-26 Premier League campaign underway. In the 18th minute, marking the shirt number which Jota used to wear for Wolves, both sets of fans applauded for 60 seconds.

READ MORE: Liverpool’s touching gesture to Diogo Jota inside Anfield dressing roomREAD MORE: Emotional Federico Chiesa thanks Diogo Jota for ‘helping’ him score crucial Liverpool goal

Wolves kept Guardiola’s side at bay for the first 34 minutes before the hosts suddenly found themselves 2-0 down at the break. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 34th minute before new signing Tijjani Reijnders, who created the opener, doubled City’s lead three minutes later with his first goal for the club.

The striking pre-match tifo was created by Wolves supporters group Old Gold Pack, who fundraised over the past month. Co-founder Kieran Newey commented: “We wanted to honour Diogo and show what he meant to Wolves fans and to Wolverhampton.

“Football fans come together at times like this to really show the true love they have for players and for football clubs, and we’ve had donations from across football, but Wolves fans in particular. Diogo was one of the legends who helped turn the club around when we really needed it.

“We wanted to show his family, and everyone who loved him, exactly what he meant to us. It’s going to be emotional for everyone, in the stadium and watching at home, but we believe we’ll get it right.”

Wolves chairman Jeff Shi said of Jota: “Diogo was a top player and, for me, one of the top three players in the whole 10 years that Fosun and I have been here. But he was also a nice boy who was very warm, very nice and always understanding, but he was also demanding.

“As a top player, you sometimes have to demand your teammates to do well, and although he was never a player on the pitch to shout, you could always see what he wanted from you. He was a very positive and optimistic guy and he could even give the chairman confidence, but he was a guy with very clear ideas.

“He was smart, intelligent and also very decisive in his actions. I feel he had the potential to become a very good CEO or entrepreneur in the future because he was very clear with what he wanted to do. Diogo will be sorely missed by everyone here at Wolves and our thoughts go out to his family and friends.”

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