6 months ago
6
Reuters
Jul 5, 2025, 08:52 AM ET
Al Hilal's Rúben Neves and João Cancelo flew to Portugal for the ceremonial of their erstwhile teammate Diogo Jota aft an affectional Club World Cup quarterfinal against Fluminense connected Friday that saw them interruption down successful tears during the minute's silence.
Neves, 1 of Jota's closest friends, served arsenic a pallbearer for the Liverpool guardant who died alongside his younger member André Silva pursuing a car mishap successful northwestern Spain connected Thursday greeting erstwhile their Lamborghini veered disconnected the roadworthy and caught fire.
Tributes person continued to determination successful for the brothers with footballing greats including Cristiano Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard, joining the Prime Ministers of Portugal and Britain successful mourning the loss.
Friday's lucifer betwixt Al Hilal and Fluminense successful Orlando began with players and fans observing a minute's soundlessness successful representation of the 2 brothers.
Neves, who played with the 28-year-old Jota during their days astatine Wolverhampton Wanderers, issued a touching tribute connected Instagram astir an hr earlier kick-off.
"Wherever you are, I cognize you're going to work this, we've ne'er been 1 for this benignant of happening and possibly present I'll regret it a little, but you cognize what you mean to maine conscionable arsenic overmuch arsenic I cognize what I americium to you," Neves said.
"More than a friendship, we're family, and we're not going to halt being household conscionable due to the fact that you've decided to motion a declaration a small further distant from us!
"When I spell to the nationalist team, you'll inactive beryllium by my broadside astatine the meal table, connected the bus, connected the plane... you'll ever beryllium determination with me, arsenic usual. We'll support laughing, making plans, sharing our lives with each other.
"I'll marque definite you're ever determination and I'll marque definite your household ne'er lacks thing portion you're there, acold distant but reasoning of us, waiting for america ...
"As of today, you'll beryllium connected the transportation with me, and we'll travel our way together, connected the signifier wherever we met."
Chelsea's Portuguese guardant Pedro Neto besides paid a heartfelt tribute to his friends erstwhile helium walked retired connected the tract with a garment bearing their names earlier their quarterfinal against Palmeiras successful Philadelphia.
"We spoke with Pedro yesterday and this greeting and this day and it was wholly Pedro's determination to play oregon not to play," Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said aft his team's 2-1 win.
"He did, helium made a fantastic effort to play this game, to play with his teammates, and we truly admit what helium has done.
"I conscionable said to the players that this triumph is particularly for him due to the fact that we cognize however adjacent helium was, and the effort that helium has made. So nary uncertainty that we truly admit what helium decided successful the end."
