Ruben Neves still sends messages to his dead friend Diogo Jota. "Few people know this," the Portugal midfielder told Portuguese TV show 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."
It is a year since Jota, a Liverpool player at the time, 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 crash on 3 July 2025. Jota, 28, was on his way back to Liverpool for pre-season when the Lamborghini he was driving left the road because of a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle. He was making the journey by car and ferry because doctors had advised the forward – who had celebrated winning the Premier League title two months earlier – against flying after he underwent minor surgery.
“Portugal play Croatia for a World Cup last-16 place, carrying the memory of Diogo Jota who died a year ago.”
One year on, Portugal play Croatia in Toronto on Thursday evening (00:00 BST Friday) for a place in the last 16 at the 2026 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.
Martinez named Jota as an honorary 'plus-one' player when he announced his squad in May. "Diogo is our sun and our light," he said. "We want to win the World Cup for him."
Jota, who scored 14 goals in 49 appearances for Portugal, helped them win the Nations League in 2025, beating Spain in Stuttgart a month before his death. "With you by our side, everything is possible. Thank you, Portugal!" he wrote on social media after that victory. He became a symbol of hope and inspiration back home after rising from his hometown club Gondomar to Pacos de Ferreira, Porto, Wolverhampton and finally Liverpool – a rare elite Portuguese footballer who never spent time at the big three academies of Benfica, Sporting and Porto.
Neves wears Jota's number 21 national shirt at the World Cup. "I still talk to him," he said.