Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo from Al Hilal were visibly emotional during the minute’s silence held in honour of their former Portugal teammate, Diogo Jota, prior to their Club World Cup quarter-final against Fluminense on Friday.
Jota, a forward for Liverpool, tragically lost his life alongside his younger brother, Andre Silva, in a car crash in northwestern Spain early Thursday morning. Their Lamborghini swerved off the road before bursting into flames.
Tributes have been pouring in for Jota and Andre, with football legends such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard joining the Prime Ministers of Portugal and Britain in expressing their condolences.
The clash between Al Hilal and Fluminense in Orlando kicked off with both players and fans observing a poignant minute’s silence in memory of Jota and Andre.
Neves, who was among Jota’s closest friends during their time at Wolverhampton Wanderers, shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram about an hour before the match began.
“Wherever you are, I know you’ll read this. We’ve never been one for this sort of thing, and I might regret it a bit now, but you know what you mean to me as much as I know what I am to you,” Neves wrote.
“More than a friendship, we’re family, and that won’t change just because you’ve signed a contract a bit further away from us!
“When I’m with the national team, you’ll still be by my side at the dinner table, on the bus, on the plane… you’ll always be there with me, as always. We’ll keep laughing, making plans, and sharing our lives.”
“I’ll ensure you’re always with us, and I’ll make certain your family has everything they need while you’re away but thinking of us, waiting for us…”
“From now on, you’ll be on the pitch with me, and we’ll continue our journey together on the stage where we first met.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s Pedro Neto paid tribute to his friends by stepping onto the pitch wearing a shirt displaying their names before his team’s quarter-final against Palmeiras in Philadelphia.
“We spoke to Pedro yesterday and this morning and this afternoon, and it was entirely his decision to play or not,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca stated following their 2-1 win.
“He made a tremendous effort to be part of this game alongside his teammates, and we truly appreciate that commitment.”
“I expressed to the players that this win is particularly for him, given how close he was to them and the effort he put in. We can’t thank him enough for what he ultimately decided.”
The funerals for the brothers are anticipated to take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) in Gondomar, Portugal.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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