‘He lit up a room': Trent Alexander-Arnold pays tribute to Diogo Jota
Alexander-Arnold is at the Club World Cup in the United States with Real Madrid having left Anfield at the end of their title-winning 2024-25 season. He spoke to Dazn after Madrid's quarter-final victory over Borussia Dortmund in New York.
'Some things are bigger than the game,' the right-back said. 'It has been difficult but it's been very emotional, very heartwarming to see the footballing world uniting and come together to show their love and support to him and his family, and obviously his brother as well.
'So although it's been difficult, it's also been a nice showing out from everyone, all clubs, all people, uniting and showing love and support for what must be a mind-blowingly hard time for the family.
'I've been … around him and his brother, his family, his amazing wife, his parents, his amazing three children. It's truly, truly heartbreaking to wake up to news like that. It's something that you would never, ever expect.
'He was a very close friend, someone who lit up a room when he was in it. I shared the dressing room [with him] for five years [and have] amazing memories on and off the pitch with him. It goes without saying he will never be forgotten by anyone. He will live long in all our memories for the amazing man and player he was.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Mexico tops USA in Gold Cup final as Pochettino decries ‘embarrassing' penalty no-call
Mexico won the country's 10th Gold Cup title, successfully defending the trophy they won in 2023 with a 2-1 win over the United States in front of a raucous, pro-Mexico crowd in Houston, Texas on Sunday. West Ham midfielder Edson Álvarez scored the decisive goal in the second half, heading home the winner after the ball deflected off the head of John Vásquez. Álvarez's goal was initially ruled out for offside, but VAR intervened and determined that he was level with the last defender at the time Vásquez made contact, sparking jubilant celebrations on the field and in the stands. It also sparked an argument on the sideline from head coach Mauricio Pochettino, who was incensed that a penalty had not been given at the other end 10 minutes earlier. In that play, Mexico defender Jorge Sánchez put his hand on the ball while falling after making a tackle on Max Arfsten's run into the penalty area. 'For sure it's penalty... he pushed the hand over the ball,' Pochettino told reporters afterward. 'It's not that the hand was on the floor & the ball touched.' Pochettino also insinuated that the officials were swayed by the pro-Mexico crowd. 'The truth is if that happened in the opposite half, in the other box, for sure it's a penalty,' he said. 'Maybe it's 2-1 for us and maybe we're celebrating the trophy. I think that is clear. It's not about to cry, it's not about to complain, it's not about to put excuses … For me, it was embarrassing to see that situation and it's a shame. Because I understand that with 70,000 people, giving this penalty is not easy.' For the US, the loss brings to an end an uneven month, as a decidedly second-choice group of players at first looked below the standard in friendly losses to Turkey and Switzerland, then played better once the Gold Cup began and gained momentum throughout the tournament. The team has had some players make a case for inclusion on next year's World Cup roster – namely midfielders Malik Tillman and Diego Luna – while others like defender Chris Richards stepped up effectively into leadership roles. However, the loss will be viewed as something of a disappointment, as it is the United States' final competitive game before kicking off the 2026 World Cup at home. In truth, the result wasn't quite as close as the scoreline makes it appear. Mexico took 16 shots (eight on target) to the USA's six and three. El Tri held possession 60% of the time, and earned 12 corners while holding the United States to zero of them. Richards opened the scoring early on with a header off a set piece that seemed to catch everyone, including the US, by surprise. Richards' header came after the Crystal Palace defender swooped low between Mexico defenders and redirected the Sebastian Berhalter set piece with an upward motion. The ball clanged off the crossbar and bounced off the turf – over the line, in the estimation of the assistant referee and the VAR. The US had the advantage and momentum. They would spend the vast majority of the rest of the match hanging on for dear life. Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion Mexico responded by piling the pressure on the US, confronting attacks with physical challenges that only occasionally earned foul calls. The US, whose only entry into the Mexico penalty area early on came on their goal, could scarcely get out of their own half. The pressure paid off for Mexico in the 27th minute, when Raúl Jiménez netted the equalizer off a nice finish after a complete defensive breakdown from the US. From a tight angle in the penalty area and with Tim Ream fast approaching, the Fulham striker did well to launch a stinging strike past Matt Freese and into the roof of the net to make things 1-1. Jiménez's celebrations were tinged with a tribute, as the striker produced a jersey with the name of Diogo Jota, the Liverpool forward who was tragically killed along with his brother in a car accident last week. Jiménez and Jota were team-mates at Wolves from 2018 to 2020, and with the jersey laid in front of him, Jiménez sat on the pitch and mimed playing a video game – one of Jota's signature celebrations. The pressure continued for Mexico, as did the wholesale domination of possession. 'Olé's rang through the crowd as early as the 30th minute as El Tri sprayed passes around. In the few instances when the US were able to get out on the break, the combination of Patrick Agyemang and Malik Tillman were out of sync more often than not. The US had one glimmer of hope at the end of the first half – a chaotic sequence just before the half-time whistle in which right-back Alex Freeman got on the end of a hopeful long-ball and won a header at goal, but only managed to hit the face of the onrushing Mexico goalkeeper Luis Malagón. The first half ended with Mexico holding a 5-0 edge in corner kicks, a 10-2 advantage in interceptions, and 298 passes to the USA's 162. That trend continued in the second stanza. Roberto Alvarado missed a close chance at the near post in the 51st minute, then again in the 56th. By the 76th minute, Mexico had their breakthrough.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool learn Malick Fofana asking price as Luis Diaz speaks out about future
Liverpool have already made six new signings this summer and there could be plenty more incomings and outgoings before the transfer window slams shut on September 1 Liverpool have enjoyed a busy summer so far, bringing in the likes of Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili as Arne Slot looks to guide the Reds to another Premier League title win. There have also been a number of outgoings, with Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Real Madrid, Jarell Quansah making the move to Bayer Leverkusen and Caoimhin Kelleher signing for Brentford. And there could be plenty more incomings and outgoings before the window slams shut on September 1. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at all the latest transfer news and rumours from in and around Anfield... Fofana's asking price According to a report from the Independent, Liverpool target Malick Fofana is valued at around €60m (£51.5m) by Lyon. The report states that Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Napoli, RB Leipzig, Nottingham Forest and Fulham are all interested in the 20-year-old after he produced 17 goal contributions in 41 games last season. The report states that Lyon are hopeful the price will be driven up due to the amount of interest in Fofana. The French side do need to sell as their financial problems have seen them relegated from Ligue 1, although the club are appealing the decision. Diaz speaks out Luis Diaz has been heavily linked with a move away from Liverpool this summer, with both Barcelona and Bayern Munich said to be interested in signing the winger. And Diaz has now spoken out about the rumours, telling Colombian broadcaster WinSports: "It's not known yet, we're talking with the board. We're comfortable with where I am, and we'll have to see." However, it has previously been reported that Liverpool have do not want to sell the winger and have already rejected an approach from Bayern. Diaz scored 17 goals and provided eight assists across all competitions last season. Zubimendi joins Arsenal Arsenal have signed midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, just one year after he rejected the chance to join Liverpool. Zubimendi was reluctant to leave his boyhood club last year and the 26-year-old has now revealed why he has chosen Arsenal. "This is a huge moment in my career," he told the Arsenal website. "It's the move I was looking for and one I wanted to make. As soon as you set foot here, you realise how big this club and this team are. I set my sights on Arsenal because their style of play is a good fit for me. They have shown their potential recently and the best is yet to come."
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Wimbledon star forced to borrow shorts from her coach after breaking strict rule
The All England Club has long had a strict dress code, and Wimbledon star Anna Kournikova famously fell foul of one of its rules It's not just on Centre Court where you can get in trouble for breaking strict dress code rules at Wimbledon - it can happen on the practice court too! Infamously, Anna Kournikova once had to borrow a pair of shorts from her coach during a practice session after violating the All England Club's strict dress code. At SW19, players are almost always required to wear all-white. There have of course been exceptions. For example, this year, players were allowed to wear black armbands to pay tribute to tragic Liverpool star Diogo Jota following his death on Thursday. But mostly, players have largely had to wear nothing but white on court down the years. And that's something which, before the 2002 tournament had even begun, Russia ace Kournikova fell foul of. At the time she was ranked No.54 in the world and was competing at SW19 for the final time in her career. But she found herself reprimanded for turning up to practice in a pair of black shorts. Before she could even step onto the court, Kournikova was sternly informed by tournament officials that she needed to change her attire. Unfortunately, she did not have a pair of white shorts on her person and had to resort to another option. Thus, she borrowed a pair from the legendary late coach Nick Bollettieri in order to comply with the rules and stay on court. In 1963, rules were implemented requiring all competitors to dress 'predominantly in white'. Then 32 years later, the wording was altered to 'almost entirely white.' This rule applies both during matches and on the practice court. Kournikova isn't the only one who has skirted the regulations and she did make sure to don all-white for her opening match against Tatiana Panova - although, she ended up losing in three sets. She did reach the women's doubles semi-finals that year however, before falling to eventual champions Serena and Venus Williams. Andre Agassi famously skipped the tournament from 1988 to 1990 in protest of the all-white clothing rule, later expressing in his autobiography: "I resent rules, but especially arbitrary rules. Why must I wear white? I don't want to wear white. "Why should it matter to these people what I wear? Above all, I took offence at being barred and blocked and made to feel unwanted." Nick Kyrgios caused a stir when he stepped onto Centre Court in 2022 sporting a red cap and red trainers, and he has recently urged the tournament to scrap the all-white dress code to allow players more freedom to express their individuality at the Grand Slam.
