'An eternal love' - the creation of Anfield tribute to Diogo Jota and André Silva

The sudden and devastating loss of the two brothers last July was felt across the football world, with heartfelt tributes offered from all corners of the globe.

The Reds' home stadium became a site of collective mourning and thousands of flowers, scarves, works of art, cards, banners and jerseys were laid, forming a beautiful area of remembrance and celebration of their lives.

A poignant permanent memorial named 'Forever 20' has been unveiled on 97 Avenue - where those tributes gathered last summer - to ensure Diogo and André are commemorated at Anfield forever.

Artist Emma Rodgers was tasked with producing the memorial and has worked closely alongside club designers to make a fitting tribute that captures their lives, their bond to one another and their meaning to supporters.

"The sculpture aims to carry multiple layers of meaning," Emma told Liverpoolfc.com. "It's Diogo Jota and André Silva's lifelong connection as brothers, both in life and in their passing.

"It's also Jota's bond with his Liverpool teammates, seen by many as a brother within the squad and his Portugal national teammates, who lost a brother in arms, and the wider footballing community mourning a bright light gone too soon.

"Also, it's to Liverpool supporters around the world who have felt a deep emotional connection to a player who gave everything for the shirt and the crest."

At the centre of the new memorial is a flowing heart sculpture, a nod to Diogo's iconic goal celebration, while at different angles it also reveals the numbers 20 and 30, which adorned the brothers' two playing shirts.

It also features the lyrics to Jota's famous song - which was sung in the 20th minute of every Liverpool match throughout last season - alongside a PlayStation controller that symbolises his love of gaming.

"The heart design was created and interlinked, unifying through the incorporation of number 20 and number 30 - Diogo and André's shirt numbers - to express the enduring power of brotherhood, connecting an eternal love," Emma continued.

"The infinite surface with no beginning or end serves as a timeless symbol of continuity, unity, and the unbreakable nature of deep human relationships. Its form aims to capture the essence of Jota in action, where strength is tempered by elegance and power is expressed through fluidity rather than thought.

"The aim for the sculpture is to embody movement itself, reflecting the dynamic yet graceful nature of Jota's skills and the harmony between physical precision and expressive motion, poised between acceleration and restraint, conveying his sense of rhythm and athletic intelligence.

"Cast in bronze, these fragile items gain permanence, transforming personal remembrance into a lasting physical presence. The single PlayStation controller is a metaphor for Jota himself. His love of gaming and his signature celebration pose, play and friendship, all forged in time."

Several maquettes - a small model - of the initial workings were created by Emma and her team, ensuring the design from initial sketches right through to completion incorporated each element exactly how they were envisioned.

Flowers and scarves left in tribute to Diogo and André at Anfield have also been immortalised in the new memorial, with the textures from those having been pressed into the frame and other areas, ensuring supporters have a key place in the tribute.

"Once we'd got that final maquette correct, we used something called a pantograph," Emma explained.

"That's been used since Da Vinci's time, so we scale up to the nearest millimetre, a very simple steel frame and then I started to dip some of the scarves into wax and then I was also making sheets of wax, which I then folded into this infinity heart, which was two interconnected pieces.

"We carved the lettering in for his song, and we were pressing textures from some of the scarves and flowers as well. There's lots of different layers within the piece of how we've incorporated the memorabilia from fans and the essence of Jota.

"That they're going to be physically in the piece is quite incredible really. Using the actual physical memorials within the form has been very important to us."

Diogo's unique song has been an outlet for supporters to continue to pay tribute to him since his untimely passing.

The words chosen to be featured in the memorial were of utmost importance and those that have echoed around Anfield were the most fitting to be front and centre forever.

"I think they sum up his character, it's what you think about when you think of him," Emma reflected.

"The song appears in your head when you're thinking of him and it was so poignant when we were looking at the memorials - that's what he will always be, he will be forever 20."