Chelsea’s players will donate a share of their Club World Cup bonuses to the family of late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, following the pair’s tragic deaths last month.
The decision was reached jointly by the club and the squad after their triumph in FIFA’s newly expanded tournament in July, where Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
That victory earned the club an estimated $114.6 million (£84.4m) in prize money.
From those earnings, $15.5 million (£11.4m) has been set aside for distribution among the players who represented Enzo Maresca’s side during the competition.
In an unprecedented show of solidarity, the players agreed to match that amount with an equal payment to Jota’s family.
Each player’s portion of the bonus is valued at more than $500,000 before deductions, including currency conversion from US dollars to pounds sterling, employer contributions, taxes, and social security costs.
According to a report by the Athletic, the donation to the Jota family is expected to mirror those amounts.
Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, a professional footballer with Portuguese side Penafiel, died in a car accident in Spain’s Zamora province on July 3, just 10 days before Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup trophy.
The tragedy sent shockwaves through the football world, with tributes pouring in from clubs, players, and fans across the globe.
Liverpool, where Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances after joining from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020, have already announced a series of tributes.
The club will unveil a memorial sculpture at Anfield as the centrepiece of a permanent tribute to the Portuguese international.
For the 2025-26 season, Liverpool’s players will wear a ‘Forever 20’ emblem on their shirts and jackets, while the LFC Foundation will launch a grassroots football programme in Jota’s name.
In addition, the club has retired the No. 20 shirt permanently at all levels.
Liverpool’s opening Premier League fixture against Bournemouth at Anfield this Friday will feature a special fan mosaic and a minute’s silence in Jota’s memory.
The occasion is expected to draw emotional scenes, with supporters uniting to honour a player described as “fearless, humble, and unforgettable” by his former teammates.
Chelsea’s contribution comes as part of a growing culture of solidarity between rival clubs in moments of tragedy. While financial donations of this magnitude are rare, Chelsea insiders describe the move as “a natural decision” given the respect Jota commanded within the game.
