BRIAN READE: 'I watched Jota lift trophy – his death reminds us life is precious'

I WENT to my first Liverpool game, aged seven, perched on my dad’s shoulders, way back in 1965.

Over the following 60 years dozens of the club’s heroes have died and I’ve mourned them in printed obituaries or stood silent in crowds to honour their memory.

But I can’t recall a player dying while still wearing the Liver Bird on his chest. Which is why the death of Diogo Jota feels unnatural. Surreal almost.

Because it was only six weeks ago that the overjoyed 28-year-old lifted the Premier League title in front of me and thousands of others on the Kop, revelling in a rendition of his chant that lauded him as a legend.

Which is how Jota, a poacher of priceless goals but more importantly a man who was totally devoted to the team ethic, will always be remembered.

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Footballers have a deep emotional connection with their fans that can only be fully grasped at times like these. They have the power, with a swing of their leg or a glance of their forehead, to score a goal and make all life’s worries disappear. That’s why they will always hold a special place in fans’ hearts.

In Jota’s case it’s hard to believe that we’ll never again see those bursts of electric pace, those shimmies around stricken defenders, the ball slammed into the net and him sprinting to the fans clapping his arms together with a face-splitting grin.

There’s an old adage about football being “the most important of all the unimportant things in life.” Following a club that has suffered more than its share of tragedy, even near-ones as recent as May’s trophy parade, I get that.

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Because ultimately this tragedy isn’t about football but parents grieving over the loss of two sons.

It’s about a young man, newly married, with three small kids, who had everything to live for seeing it stolen in a fleeting second.

It’s a reminder that no matter how much fame and money you have, you're never immune from the cruel vagaries of fate.

It’s a reminder that life is precious. So live it.

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