Henderson fights back tears as he pays his respects to Jota at Anfield

Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson fought back tears as he laid flowers and a Liverpool scarf at Anfield in tribute of his ex-team-mate Diogo Jota.

The pair played alongside one another for three seasons at Merseyside following Jota's arrival from Wolves in 2020.

On Friday, Henderson - now playing for Dutch giants Ajax - made the trip to Anfield to pay his respects to his former colleague after his tragic death. The veteran midfielder, fighting back tears, looked distraught as he joined the legions of Liverpool fans that have paid tribute to the 28-year-old.

The England international left a heartfelt note to his former team-mate in the bouquet he brought to the site, reading: 'Rest in peace my friend, along with your brother Andre. We will all miss you. Love Hendo + family.'

Jota died alongside his brother when his Lamborghini had a tyre blow out while overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora - just ten miles over the border from Portugal.

The car is said to have rolled and burst into flames, with emergency services unable to save the footballing duo. Jota's brother, Andre Silva, 26, played for Portuguese second division side Penafiel.

Jota and Silva were headed to Santander to catch a ferry to Britain after Diogo was advised not to fly following lung surgery, it was reported in his home country.

His death, which cast clouds of sorrow over the footballing world, came just two weeks after he married his girlfriend and mother of their three kids Rute Cardoso in Porto, his home city.

Henderson paid tribute to Jota on social media shortly after news of his death was announced. His emotional posts reminisced on their joyful period on Merseyside where they built a friendship.

Current Reds skipper Virgil van Dijk promised to always be available for his family in a moving statement saying he was 'absolutely devastated and in total disbelief' to lose his team-mate of five years.

'What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man,' Van Dijk wrote on Instagram.

'You meant so much to all of us and you always will! For your family to lose two sons, a husband and a father is just unimaginable. So cruel and unfair.

'My heart is breaking for all of your beautiful family, for Rute and for your kids. I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family.

'A champion forever, number 20 forever. It’s been a privilege to have stood by your side on the pitch, and to have been your friend off it.

'We will miss you beyond words and never forget you. Your legacy will live on, we will make sure of it!

'Rest in perfect peace Diogo & Andre.'

Elsewhere, Liverpool defender Andy Robertson, who forged an incredible connection with the forward during their five years together at Anfield and was also present at Jota's wedding almost two weeks ago, wrote: 'The ones I’m thinking about most right now are the family.

'Their loss is too much to bear. I’m so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls – Diogo and Andre.

'For the team and the Club, we’ll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy.

'I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. It’s the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real.

'Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I’d try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.

'We’d watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight - one of the best we had. The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family.

'I can’t believe we’re saying goodbye. It’s too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better. Love you, Diogo.'

Jota's untimely death sent shockwaves through the footballing world on Thursday. Throughout the day, back in Liverpool, fans gathered in their hundreds to lay and pay their own tributes to the 28-year-old.

Jota played 182 games for Liverpool and was part of the Premier League title-winning squad from last season under Arne Slot.

One group of fans gathered to sing Liverpool's traditional 'You'll Never Walk Alone' song, aiming it at the forward, while another striking image showed two men - one in a Liverpool shirt and one an Everton shirt - walking with flowers to lay them down.