Trent Alexander-Arnold pays tribute to former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota

Tributes have been paid to Liverpool striker Diogo Jota, who tragically passed away on Thursday following a car accident in Spain. The 28-year-old’s younger brother, Andre Silva, was also killed.

A number of Jota’s Liverpool teammates have paid their tributes to him following the news, and joining them has been Trent Alexander-Arnold, who played alongside the Portuguese for five years prior to his Real Madrid move earlier this summer.

Taking to social media, Alexander-Arnold penned a heartfelt message following confirmation of Jota’s passing.

“It’s so difficult to find the right words when your head and heart are struggling to accept that someone you care so much about has gone. Diogo, your family was your world. They were everything. For Rute, his children, and his parents, all of our hearts are broken. And for Andre as well. Brothers and best friends. When it’s less painful, I want to remember Diogo with a big smile. So many laughs and happy moments. He was such a great teammate and a true friend. Forever number 20. Rest in peace, Diogo.”

Jota was a much-loved figure at Liverpool, and Alexander-Arnold was one of his many friends on Merseyside. Understandably, the Real Madrid man is heartbroken at the news, which he will not be able to digest fully for a little while due to being involved at the Club World Cup in the United States.

Jota, who is survived by his wife Rute Cardoso and three children, had been on the books at Atletico Madrid earlier in this career, but he never made an appearance for Los Colchoneros before leaving for Premier League side Wolves in 2018, following a successful loan spell at Molineux. He joined Liverpool in 2020, and earlier this year, he won the Premier League title as well as the UEFA Nations League with Portugal, who defeated Spain in the final.