Bernardo Silva, a Portugal teammate of Diogo Jota and Manchester City star, called Jota’s tragic death “a very sad moment for all of us” and said “he’ll remain in our hearts forever” in an interview before an emotional funeral in Portugal on Saturday, according to ESPN.
Silva, who overlapped with Jota on the national team and played for the rival of the late star’s Liverpool team in the Premier League, recalled eating meals together and playing alongside one another, ESPN reported while citing Silva’s interview with TVI.
Jota and his younger brother, Andre Silva, died in a car crash early Thursday when a tire appeared to burst on the Lamborghini they were driving, causing the vehicle to crash and burst into flames.
The fatal crash occurred just 11 days after Jota married Rute Cardoso — his partner for 10 years and the mother of their three children.
“I can’t even imagine the pain of the family, of Rute, of the children, of the parents,” Bernardo said in the interview, per record.pt. “His career, although not the most important thing, speaks for itself. 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 remain in our hearts forever. He will always be present at all breakfasts, lunches, dinners, national team gatherings, PlayStation or card games.
“It’s a very tough episode for all of us, because we spent a lot of time together. The memories I have with him are fantastic. These happy memories will remain; he will be present in every victory. I’m sure we will remember him with great joy every day. … [It is] a very sad moment for all of us.”
Silva became the latest to deliver a heartfelt tribute to Jota this week, with memories and messages pouring in from people around the soccer community.
He attended the funeral at Igreja Matriz church in Gondomar, Portugal on Saturday, where Cardoso broke down while carrying Jota’s coffin.
Silva said he couldn’t attend the couple’s wedding in late June due to Manchester City’s appearance in the Club World Cup, but Jota attended his wedding.
“The No. 20 was already special, and now it will be even more so,” Silva said in the TVI interview, according to ESPN. “We were rivals and teammates for many years. He became a great friend. … It’s a family that will always be with us and that we will try to preserve.”
Silva and Jota were teammates when Portugal won the Nations League title in early June.