Somehow, it has already been a year since the world of football lost the much-loved Diogo Jota.
Somehow, his wife Rute Cardoso had to celebrate their first wedding anniversary last week with no husband to hug, having been widowed less than a fortnight after getting married.
Somehow, his parents had to battle through a year without him or his younger brother, Andre Silva.
Somehow, the footballers of Liverpool and Portugal had to return to normal, day-to-day mundanities both at home and on the pitch, to fight in the honour of their old mate.
Somehow, life went on.
Jota, who lost his life on July 3 last year in a car accident in Spain, has not been too far away from the thoughts of any team-mate in the intervening period – and the willingness to fight for his legacy has been a driving factor for Portugal in the World Cup.
After the victory over Croatia, Cristiano Ronaldo put on a Diogo Jota shirt, showed it to Portugal fans and pointed to the skies
Every member of the Portugal squad is wearing wristbands in tribute to Jota
Every member of the squad is wearing wristbands in tribute to Jota and, after beating Croatia in a topsy-turvy thriller in Toronto on Friday morning, Cristiano Ronaldo put on a Jota shirt, showed it to the Portugal fans and pointed to the skies.
He appeared to have tears in his eyes and it was hard not to think of Jota when Portugal fought to score a late winner in a hotly-contested tie settled by a late Goncalo Ramos goal from a Rafael Leao cross.
Boss Roberto Martinez said last week: ‘What I can say is that Diogo has become a real inspiration inside this group. He was someone who brought absolute intensity to every training session, with no exception – someone who believed deeply in what this squad could achieve, who wanted to win titles for Portugal more than almost anyone I have ever worked with.
‘His standards, his energy, and his conviction – these are attributes the players want to carry forward, to honour. Diogo is always with us. He’s a light that reminds us all to be present every day, to give everything we have, because tomorrow is never guaranteed.
‘That isn’t a cliche, it’s something the players feel genuinely and deeply, and that feeling gives us a strength that goes well beyond tactics.’
It was a touching reminder from the manager about how missed Jota is every day – and the Portuguese are not the only ones feeling the void left behind.
Scotland captain and ex-Liverpool team-mate, Andy Robertson, was sent an emotional letter from Jota’s widow, Rute, just before the World Cup. She told Robertson: ‘When you step onto the pitch, I know it won’t be just you walking out. Diogo will be with you in your thoughts, in your steps, in your heart.
‘So, today I want to thank you. Thank you for not forgetting him. Thank you for taking him with you. Thank you for turning the pain of loss into strength and into something so beautiful. That’s how we do it here at home too, every day. He would be and is incredibly proud of you.’
‘Diogo has become a real inspiration inside this group,’ said the Portugal manager Roberto Martinez this week. ‘He was someone who brought absolute intensity to every training session, with no exception’
Tributes were paid to Jota before kick-off in the Portugal v Croatia match
Members of the Liverpool squad have discussed one of their best memories with Jota being a trip they made to Cheltenham for the horse-racing festival in 2025.
Despite being from Portugal, Jota embraced British sporting culture and thus was nicknamed ‘MacJota’ by Robertson. He was also a huge darts fan and showed off his knowledge when top player Stephen Bunting played in front of the Liverpool squad in spring 2025.
After their trip to Cheltenham in 2025, the squad made the same journey this year in a trip organised by Robertson.
Members of Liverpool’s non-playing staff and social media team, plus technical director Julian Ward joined Robertson on the trip to the races as they sported Peaky Blinders-style flat caps and took with them a Jota No 20 Liverpool shirt and a Portugal flag.
These are the public shows of affection and there are more, such as his good friend Ruben Neves – once of Wolves, now playing for Al-Hilal – now wearing his No 21 international jersey for Portugal. Neves, born just four months after Jota, still sends text messages to the mobile number of his pal in a group chat with his widow Rute.
Others deal with it differently. On the plane to the United States for the beginning of their World Cup camp, Manchester City star Matheus Nunes read a new biography about Jota by Jose Manuel Delgado.
A memorial outside Anfield to Jota and his brother Andre Silva who were killed in a car crash a year ago
Portugal supporters at the World Cup pay tribute to Jota, with a ‘Forever 21’ banner
One thing that should not be forgotten is that these are all young men – both at club and country – perhaps in most cases dealing with grief for the first time, certainly grief of losing a friend or someone of a similar age.
It must have been impossible to know how to act, maybe players felt guilty for laughing or smiling again.
The pain would have hit them at sporadic times across the last 12 months, maybe when they are on the pitch but also when they are doing mundane day-to-day tasks, the things that Jota has been cruelly denied.
But as we reach a year since that tragic day, it is clear that Liverpool and Portugal players are still inspired by their old mate, who would have loved nothing more than to be on the football pitch, smiling.
