Cristiano Ronaldo has led the tributes to Diogo Jota on the first anniversary of his death.
Jota was killed, along with his brother Andre Silva, after the car in which they were travelling came off the road in northern Spain on July 3, 2025.
Ronaldo, who was known to be close to Jota, spoke of his former team-mate following Portugal’s 2-1 win over Croatia at the World Cup last night.
He said: “Diogo Jota is now up there in heaven, lighting the way for us. It’s a very special moment.
“We all felt that he was with us, and that’s why there was only one thing that mattered: winning the match, so we could honour him in the best way possible.”
Ronaldo dons Jota shirt as mark of respect
At the end of the game, Ronaldo put on a shirt with Jota’s name on the back and joined the rest of the squad in holding it up to the Portugal fans inside the ground in Toronto.
He also posted on Instagram with the message: “We won for ourselves, for Diogo, and for Portugal!!! LET’S GO!!!!
Liverpool mark anniversary with new memorial
Jota was a Liverpool player at the time of his death and the Merseyside club today unveiled a new, permanent memorial to him and Silva outside Anfield.
Flowers were left by club officials, as well as fans, to remember the hugely popular forward who scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the Reds, helping them win the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022 and the Premier League title in the 2025/25 campaign.
