‘I called him MacJota' – Liverpool's Andy Robertson pays heartfelt tribute to ‘most British foreign player' Diogo Jota
ANDY ROBERTSON has added his heartfelt tribute to the chorus of well wishes and mourning following the tragic death of Diogo Jota.
Jota was killed in the early hours of Thursday in a traffic incident while driving through Zamora, Spain, in a Lamborghini when a tyre suddenly burst and sent the car veering off the road before catching fire.
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Andy Robertson has paid tribute to his buddy Diogo Jota
Credit: Getty
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Jota was killed in a tragic car crash alongside his younger brother, Andre Silva
Credit: Reuters
The 28-year-old died alongside his younger brother, Andre Silva, who played for Portuguese second-tier club Penafiel.
Only 10 days earlier, Jota had gotten married to high school sweetheart Rute Cardoso, while the horrific news has also left three children without their father.
Tributes for the late Portugal attacker have poured in from around the world, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Prince William, his club and manager Arne Slot.
Team-mates past and present also sent their condolences to Jota's family and paid heartfelt tributes to Jota and Silva.
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And now Scotland international and team-mate of five years, Robertson, has released his heartbroken homage to Jota.
In a statement released on his Instagram page, the 31-year-old said: "The ones I'm thinking about most right now are the family. Their loss is too much to bear. I'm so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls – Diogo and Andre.
"For the team and the Club, we'll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy."
The defender described his buddy as a "good guy" who was "normal and real", adding that he was "full of fun".
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Robertson continued by explaining what they would do when hanging out together, including watching darts, going to horse racing and giving him the nickname "MacJota".
He continued: "He was the most British foreign player I've ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I'd try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.
Portugal manager in tears as fans hold up Diogo Jota pictures during Women's Euro minute's silence for Liverpool star.mp4
"We'd watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight - one of the best we had."
Robertson's statement opens up on the last time he saw his mate, his wedding day, where he had a "never-creasing smile".
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He concluded: "The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day.
"I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family.
I can't believe we're saying goodbye. It's too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better. Love you, Diogo."
Andy Robertson Diogo Jota tribute in full
The ones I'm thinking about most right now are the family. Their loss is too much to bear. I'm so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls – Diogo and Andre.
For the team and the Club, we'll try to cope with this together… however long that takes.
For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy.
I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now.
It's the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real.
Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun.
He was the most British foreign player I've ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I'd try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.
We'd watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight - one of the best we had.
The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family.
I can't believe we're saying goodbye. It's too soon, and it hurts so much.
But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better.
Love you, Diogo.
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