- Bernardo Silva has paid an emotional tribute to Portugal team-mate Diogo Jota
- Portugal manager Roberto Martinez also spoke about Jota, who died aged 28
Bernardo Silva has paid tribute to his ‘great friend’ Diogo Jota in an emotional interview at his Portugal team-mate’s funeral, highlighting his ‘passion and determination’ to succeed in life and his career.
Jota and his brother Andre passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning following a car crash in Spain.
Silva hailed the passion and determination that Jota showed to have a hugely successful career, including being part of Liverpool’s Premier League title winning team last season.
Manchester City star Silva told AVI: I can’t even imagine the pain of the family, of Rute [Jota’s wife], of the children, of the parents. For Andre and for Jota.
‘I must say a little about Jota, who was a great friend of all of us. His career, although not the most important, speaks for itself.
‘He didn’t train at any of the big teams and took the most difficult paths. His passion, will and determination allowed him to succeed in life and have a brilliant career.
‘More important than that, as a person… the memories that remain… Jota will always be in our hearts.
‘He will always be present at every breakfast, lunch, dinner, national team get-together, PlayStation or card game.’
Silva and Jota played 37 matches together for Portugal, while they also often faced each other when Man City played Liverpool.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez also paid tribute to Jota, with his tragic death coming just weeks after they had celebrated winning the Nations League.
As reported by A Bola, Martinez said: ‘I just want to say that these are very, very sad days. Today was a sign for Diogo and Andre that we are all together and that we are Portugal.
‘Now, I want to thank everyone for being here, for all the messages from all over the world. We are with Andre Silva and Diogo Jota. Always, always with us’.
Jota had been travelling to Santander to catch a ferry back to England ahead of pre-season, having been advised not to fly following lung surgery, when the accident occurred.
He and his brother were driving eastward along an isolated stretch of highway, about an hour west of Zamora, when tragedy struck.
Their Lamborghini came off the road, rolled and then burst into flames at around 12.35am, also igniting the surrounding vegetation.
The emergency services were called but the brothers could not be saved.
Spanish government official Angel Blanco said the siblings died at the scene.
