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Tributes to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva continue to pour in.
The Liverpool man was also an avid player of EAFC (formerly FIFA), and makers EA Sports have become the latest to pay their respects following the brothers' shock passing. If there is one remotely positive thing to come out of the tragedy, it is a reminder of the impact that Diogo and Andre had on so many, as has been made apparent by the mass outpouring of grief from all over the world. Part of the massive legacy that Jota leaves behind is his own eSports team, Luna Galaxy.
He personally was just as talented on the virtual pitch as the real one, winning a Premier League FIFA tournament back in 2020; he beat Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final. He was also at one point the top-ranked player in FUT Champions, a competitive game mode within Ultimate Team.
EA Sports has now marked that part of Jota's life with a touching in-game tribute. Having initially removed his Ultimate Team card from the EAFC 25 game, as is standard practice when an active player passes away, the makers of the game have since put together a poignant gesture.
Every player of FC25 Ultimate Team has been sent a special tifo pack. It contains his No. 18 jersey from his time at Wolves, his No. 19 jersey from Porto, and his No. 20 jersey from Liverpool.
Liverpool, meanwhile, has taken the decision to retire the No. 20 jersey. Jota is now listed under his own "forever" section on the club's squad list.
Players can choose to display the tifos in-game as a virtual tribute to Jota.
"To honor and celebrate the life of one of our most passionate FC players, three new Diogo Jota Tifos have been added to your UT Club," EA Sports wrote to its players. The message was headlined "one of us".
It isn't the first eSports-related tribute Jota has received. Among the moving scenes of tributes laid outside Anfield, various gaming controllers were left.
Like Liverpool, both Porto and Wolves have also marked Jota's passing in their own ways. Molineux was also flooded with tributes, with the flowers now set to be turned into colored ink to form part of a more permanent memento.
Meanwhile, Wolves also enrolled Jota into the club's Hall of Fame. Made up of historic players and teams from the club's past, he is one of fewer than 40 members, and the first addition in more than two years.
Porto will honor Jota at an upcoming friendly with Atletico Madrid. The forward actually represented both clubs, although he never played competitively for the Spanish side.
Around the world, players have also been paying personal tributes by emulating Jota's "gaming" celebration. They sit down and mime holding a controller, as Jota would do on occasion.
Darwin Nunez and Ousmane Dembele have both paid their respect in this fashion, as have others. Like the EA Sports tribute, it's a fitting touch to honor someone who was genuinely elite in two separate fields.
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