AS a father, Liverpool and England legend Michael Owen was especially heartbroken by the untimely death of 28-year-old Reds’ forward Diogo Jota and his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva in a car crash in Spain on Thursday.
“I heard the news while I was up in the sky flying over to Durban. It’s just the most tragic, most awful news you can hear, really. My first thoughts are with the family,” a visibly pained Owen said at Sibaya Casino in Durban on Friday afternoon.
“Diogo was only married for about two weeks. He leaves behind a wife and three young children. Being a father myself, I can’t imagine the pain they are going through.”
He said the loss to the club, and the greater football family paled in comparison.
“When I first hear of things like this, that hopefully don’t happen too often, I always try to refrain from thinking what they were like as a footballer and what they mean to a football club and things like that,” the 45-year-old Owen told Independent Media Sports exclusively.
“That’s almost what comes after. I think first and foremost he’s a son, he’s a father, he’s a brother, he’s a husband. He’s all of those things and to the family they’ll be hurting and broken more than anybody else, so that’s what I feel we should be thinking of and praying for at the moment.
“I mean, his poor mother has lost two sons in one fell swoop. It’s just horrific and, of course, very sad.”
Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool and won four major honours: two League Cups, one FA Cup and, most notably, last season’s Premier League title.
Owen did reveal a little about the forward who had just celebrated Portugal’s Nations League triumph over Spain, and was said to be making his way back to Liverpool with his brother when the accident happened.
The death of the brothers has cast a pall over their entire football and wider sporting world, with condolences and tributes pouring in from all over.
Silva was also a professional footballer, with Portuguese second-tier club Penafiel.
“In my job I’ve had numerous interactions with him and always found him a real delight to work with – a smiley, happy character,” Owen revealed.
The former star striker, who also played for the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United, Newcastle United, and Stoke City, was speaking as part of his duties as a Sunbet ambassador ahead of Saturday’s Durban July. It will be his first experience of South Africa’s premier horse-racing event.
He seemed glad to be able to shift the conversation away from the latest tragedy to befall the storied Merseyside giants, to his other passion.
Owen, the last English player to win the Ballon d’Or, has a long history in horse-racing, as a breeder and owner of horses and stables. His love for the sport is said to match his love for football.
Owen revealed that it has taken him to horse-racing events all over the world, and was looking forward to his first Durban July, having heard so much about the race.
“I’m expecting a big party, lots of atmosphere, lots of great horses, so looking forward to that. As much as I’m an expert on English racing, South African racing is something I’m keen to learn about.”
