“I still talk to him,” Ruben Neves says about Diogo Jota, his close friend and former Porto, Wolves and Portugal team-mate.

It is a year since Jota, while a Liverpool player, died in a car accident in Spain, 11 days after marrying his long-term partner Rute Cardoso.

His brother Andre Silva was also killed in the accident on 3 July 2025.

“Few people know this,” Neves, who is wearing Jota’s number 21 national shirt at the World Cup, told Portuguese TV show, external Alta Definicao.

“We have a WhatsApp group with Rute and Diogo, and it’s still there, and we continue to talk there.

“Whenever something special happens, I have the conversations archived on my WhatsApp so I can continue to send him messages.”

Jota, 28, was on his way back to Liverpool for pre-season when the car, a Lamborghini, left the road because of a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle.

He was making the journey to England by car and ferry as doctors had advised the forward, who celebrated winning the Premier League title two months earlier, against flying because he had undergone minor surgery.

One year on from his passing, Portugal play Croatia in Toronto on Thursday evening (00:00 BST on Friday morning) for a place in the last 16 at the World Cup.

It promises to be a highly emotional occasion for head coach Roberto Martinez, his players and staff, and the thousands of Portugal fans who have flooded into the Canadian city for the match.

“Diogo is our sun and our light,” says Martinez, who named Jota as an honorary ‘plus-one’ player when he announced his squad in May.

“We want to win the World Cup for him.”

‘Diogo’s dream was to play at World Cup’

“With you by our side, everything is possible. Thank you, Portugal!,” Jota wrote on social media after they overcame Spain to win the Nations League in Stuttgart a month before his death.

He became a symbol of hope and inspiration back home after going from his hometown club Gondomar to Pacos de Ferreira, then to Porto, Wolverhampton and finally Liverpool.

Jota’s path to stardom was highlighted as a rare case of an elite Portuguese footballer who never spent time at any of the big three academies – Benfica, Sporting and Porto.

Just like at Liverpool though, his death has had a profound effect on the national team, for whom he scored 14 times in 49 appearances.

As well as carrying the weight of expectation on their shoulders at this tournament, Portugal’s players also carry the weight of grief for a team-mate who would have been among them this summer.

While hisabsence has been felt deeply, Jota’s memory lives on and his presence has been felt at this World Cup, from Houston to Miami.

A black and white picture of Jota celebrating a goal for his country has been displayed on big screens as the Portuguese national anthem has rung out before matches.

“Diogo was a player deeply loved by the Portuguese people,” Miguel de Silva, the Portuguese-Canadian owner of the Amigos da Dundas sports bar, located in Toronto’s Little Portugal neighbourhood, says.

“I think what he brings to the Portuguese players will be something special. Just one more reason for them to win the match [against Croatia].”

While fans have turned up for Portugal’s matches wearing shirts with Jota’s name on the back, players including captain Cristiano Ronaldo are wearing special wristbands during matches in tribute.

The wristbands In Portugal’s green and red colours are a gift from Prime Minister Luis Montenegro and carry the names of all squad members alongside that of Jota.

“The story of the wristband ⁠is, when we went to meet with the prime minister, he offered us this wristband,” says midfielder Vitinha.

“They madesure that it was a wristband that we could wear on the pitch. It has all the specifics for us to be able to enter the pitch with it, with the name of all the players plus the special name of Diogo Jota.”

Vitinha appeared in the opening group game against DR Congo in Houston on 17 June, where Jota’s parents Joaquim and Isabel were guests, and wiped away tears in the stands during an emotional tribute to their sons.

“Representing Portugal at this tournament was a dream Diogo nurtured with everyone who loved him,” Fifa president Gianni Infantino wrote on social media, external after meeting the couple.

“While celebrating these moments of togetherness, we continue to keep Diogo and Andre in our thoughts.”

The funeral of Jota and his brother was held in Gondomar, on the outskirts of Porto, on 5 July 2025.

Neves helped carry Jota’s coffin into the church, just hours after competing with Al Hilal at the Club World Cup in the United States.

The midfielder has since had a tattoo on his left calf of him embracing Jota, who is wearing his ‘Diogo J’ Portugal 21 shirt.

“I and the entire national team team will do everything we can to keep Diogo here with us, on our team,” Neves added.

“The day after the news, for me, is the most difficult day of my life. The most important aspect for me to be able to play was wanting to play for Diogo first.”

While Liverpool have revealed images of the new permanent memorial, external at Anfield in tribute to Jota and his brother, Portugal unveiled a bronze tribute, external at their training centre close to Lisbon.

Martinez says Jota’s death “hurts beyond football” but his spirit is a driving force at the World Cup.

Portugal have struggled to fire at the tournament, winning just one of their three group games.

However, the 2016 European champions will book a last-16 showdown with Spain or Austria if they defeat Croatia.

“Diogo’s dream is still with us and he sets the standards, he sets the light for the direction of this group,” adds former Belgium boss Martinez.

“Every day is difficult. When we are training, there are always moments when Diogo comes back into our memory.

“I think the anniversary is just a moment that makes this game [Croatia], Diogo Jota’s game.

“Diogo will always be with us.” (BBC)

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