Al Hilal‘s Rúben Neves and João Cancelo flew to Portugal for the funeral of their former teammate Diogo Jota after an emotional Club World Cup quarterfinal against Fluminense on Friday that saw them break down in tears during the minute’s silence.
Neves, one of Jota’s closest friends, served as a pallbearer for the Liverpool forward who died alongside his younger brother André Silva following a car accident in northwestern Spain on Thursday morning when their Lamborghini veered off the road and caught fire.
Tributes have continued to pour in for the brothers with footballing greats including Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard, joining the Prime Ministers of Portugal and Britain in mourning the loss.
Friday’s match between Al Hilal and Fluminense in Orlando began with players and fans observing a minute’s silence in memory of the two brothers.
Neves, who played with the 28-year-old Jota during their days at Wolverhampton Wanderers, issued a touching tribute on Instagram about an hour before kick-off.
“Wherever you are, I know you’re going to read this, we’ve never been one for this sort of thing and maybe now I’ll regret it a little, but you know what you mean to me just as much as I know what I am to you,” Neves said.
“More than a friendship, we’re family, and we’re not going to stop being family just because you’ve decided to sign a contract a little further away from us!
“When I go to 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 usual. We’ll keep laughing, making plans, sharing our lives with each other.
“I’ll make sure you’re always there and I’ll make sure your family never lacks anything while you’re there, far away but thinking of us, waiting for us …
“As of today, you’ll be on the pitch with me, and we’ll follow our path together, on the stage where we met.”
Chelsea‘s Portuguese forward Pedro Neto also paid a heartfelt tribute to his friends when he walked out on the field with a shirt bearing their names before their quarterfinal against Palmeiras in Philadelphia.
“We spoke with Pedro yesterday and this morning and this afternoon and it was completely Pedro’s decision to play or not to play,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said after his team’s 2-1 win.
“He did, he made a fantastic effort to play this game, to play with his teammates, and we really appreciate what he has done.
“I just said to the players that this win is especially for him because we know how close he was, and the effort that he has made. So no doubt that we really appreciate what he decided in the end.”
