Diogo Jota chose not to use his real name throughout most of his career. The football world is reeling from the tragic news that the Liverpool forward died in a car accident in the Spanish province of Zamora on Thursday.

Jota played a key role in helping Liverpool win the Premier League title last season, scoring six goals in 26 games. The 28-year-old also won the FA Cup and League Cup during his time at Anfield after arriving as a £41million signing from Wolves in 2020. Despite his full name being Diogo Jose Teixeira da Silva, the forward only briefly played under his actual surname during his career.

Throughout his time at Liverpool, Jota donned the No.20 shirt with 'Diogo J.' written on the back. It is understood he began requesting 'Diogo J.' to help him stand out from other Silvas in the squad, as it is one of the most common surnames in Portugal.

The letter 'J' is pronounced in Portuguese as Jota's name is said. This led the striker to become known by his Jota nickname and was a tradition he stuck to throughout his career, except for when he first joined Wolves on loan from Atletico Madrid in 2017.

Jota was forced to wear 'Silva' on his Wolves shirt in the Championship. This was due to EFL rules, which dictated that all players must play under their surname. After the club won promotion to the Premier League in his debut, Jota switched back to the original name on his shirt and continued to wear it throughout his Liverpool career.

Jota's brother Andre Silva was also a professional footballer. The 25-year-old began his career at Gondomar before joining Penafiel. Silva was a regular for the second-tier Portuguese side, making 59 appearances across the last two seasons.

The Guardia Civil confirmed that Jota and Silva died at approximately 00.30 local time on Thursday. Their car left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle.

Liverpool star Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso only 11 days ago, while the couple had three children together. On Wednesday, Jota posted a wedding video on social media, captioned: "A day we will never forget," alongside a heart emoji.

Many tributes have already been paid to the forward, including from his Liverpool team-mates and club legend Jamie Carragher. Liverpool have also released a message following Jota's passing.

The club statement read: "Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota. The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre.

"Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss. We will continue to provide them with our full support."