‘We will all miss you': Cristiano Ronaldo pays tribute to Diogo Jota
LISBON : Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo paid tribute to his international teammate Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash today, saying 'we will all miss you.'
The Liverpool and Portugal star, 28, died along with his younger brother Andre when their vehicle veered off a motorway and burst into flames shortly after midnight in the municipality of Cernadilla in Zamora province, Spain.
'It makes no sense. We were just together with the national team (they won the Nations League title last month), you had just gotten married,' he posted on X.
'To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.'
Jota's death comes only a month after he and Ronaldo were celebrating on the pitch after Portugal won the Nations League title beating Spain on penalties.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
No formal protests over Malaysia's naturalised players, says AFC
Nine of Malaysia's starting-11 in their match against Vietnam last month were naturalised players, with five of them receiving Fifa clearance just hours before kick-off. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The Asian Football Confederation has not received any official complaint regarding Malaysia's naturalised players following the national team's Asian Cup qualifier win against Vietnam last month. AFC general-secretary Windsor Paul told FMT that the status of naturalised players was ultimately a matter for the world football governing body, Fifa. 'The status of players comes under the purview of Fifa. From my side, AFC has not received any official protest. And even if we did, we will forward it to Fifa,' he said. This follows an Indonesian report claiming that Malaysia's 4-0 win over Vietnam on June 10 may be overturned because some of Harimau Malaya's naturalised players were purportedly ineligible to represent the nation. The report alleged that the result would be voided and Vietnam would be awarded a 3-0 win. It also said the Football Association of Malaysia could be fined up to US$2 million (RM9.4 million) and face further sanctions if Fifa finds evidence of document manipulation involving the heritage of players. FAM dismissed the report as baseless, saying it had complied with the necessary procedures for the registration of the players. Nine of the team's starting-11 in the game were naturalised players, with five of them – Joao Figueiredo, Rodrigo Holgado, Jon Irazabal, Facundo Garces and Imanol Machuca – receiving Fifa clearance just hours before kick-off.
The Star
5 hours ago
- The Star
Body of Liverpool footballer Jota arrives in Portugal for hometown wake
Flower tributes are left outside Liverpool's Anfield Stadium after Liverpool's Portuguese soccer player Diogo Jota died in a car crash near Zamora, Spain, in Liverpool, Britain, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY GONDOMAR, Portugal (Reuters) -The bodies of Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva arrived in northern Portugal on Friday for a wake in their hometown, as tributes continued to pour in after they died in a car accident in Spain. A convoy of hearses left for Gondomar near Porto on Thursday evening from the morgue of Puebla de Sanabria, near where the Lamborghini the brothers were travelling in had veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight early on Thursday. Police said they suspected a tyre had burst. Jota's wife Rute Cardoso, who had married the footballer just weeks earlier, was seen leaving the morgue and joining the convoy, as was Jota's longtime agent Jorge Mendes. A wake is expected to take place at a chapel in Gondomar from 4:00 p.m. (1500 GMT) and a funeral on Saturday at a church nearby at 10:00 a.m. local time, Gondomar's mayor's office said. Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro arrived in the village on Friday morning. The death of Jota at the age of 28 has jolted the world of football, with messages of homage pouring in from former teammates, clubs, national leaders and fans. Outside Liverpool's Anfield stadium fans left flowers, scarves and hand-written notes, many from children. Football clubs including Paris St Germain, who have several Portuguese internationals in their squad, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid observed a moment of silence during training for their matches in the Club World Cup taking place in the United States. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Thursday that forward Pedro Neto was weighing whether to play in Friday's quarter-final against Palmeiras, as the Portuguese international mourns the tragic death of his close friend. Jota's manager at Liverpool, Arne Slot, said in a statement on Thursday that his thoughts were with his family. "My message to them is very clear – you will never walk alone," Slot said. "For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a workmate and in all of those roles he was very special," he added. Jota was making his way back to Liverpool by car after he was told he should avoid plane travel for up to 6 weeks following lung surgery to address a fractured rib, his physiotherapist Miguel Goncalves told broadcaster Now late on Thursday. Goncalves said Jota was recovering well from the pneumothorax surgery and that he had planned to take a ferry to the UK from Spain. (Reporting by Miguel Pereira, Sergio Goncalves and Catarina Demony; writing by Charlie Devereux; editing by Alexandra Hudson)
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Klopp 'heartbroken' by Diogo Jota's death
MUNICH: Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he was "heartbroken" to learn Diogo Jota, who he signed in 2020, had died with his younger brother Andre in a car crash on Thursday. Diogo Jota, 28, died alongside Andre after their vehicle veered off a motorway in northern Spain before bursting into flames. Klopp, who is Red Bull's "head of global soccer", persuaded the Liverpool board to pay £45 million (RM260 million) for Diogo Jota after he impressed at Wolves. "This is a moment where I struggle!" Klopp posted on Instagram. "There must be a bigger purpose! But I can't see it! I'm heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre. "Diogo was a not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! "We will miss you so much! All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them! Rest in peace – Love." Diogo Jota was labelled an "exceptional player, exceptional boy," by Klopp early on in the player's spell at Liverpool. Jota took little time to deliver some return on Liverpool's investment, becoming the first player in the club's history to score in his first four home games. He was a key part of Klopp's side that won the League Cup and FA Cup in 2021/22, narrowly missing out on the Premier League and Champions League for what would have been an unprecedented quadruple. - AFP
