- Ruben Neves and Joao Cancelo Flew Overnight to Attend Diogo Jota's Funeral
- The pair had played in the Club World Cup last night before travelling to Portugal
- Neves would serve as one of Jota’s pallbearers at the funeral in Gondomar
An emotional Ruben Neves helped to carry the coffin of the late Liverpool star Diogo Jota after flying in from the United States to attend the funeral of his former Portugal, Wolves and Porto team-mate.
Both Neves and Joao Cancelo had played in the Club World Cup last night in the United States.
The Portugal internationals has been in tears pre-match as a tribute was paid to Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who both tragically died in a car crash i Spain on Thursday.
Neves and Cancelo made the transatlantic flight following Al-Hilal’s 2-1 loss to Fluminense in the quarter-finals in order to attend the service in Gondomar, located near Porto.
The funeral saw family and former team-mates of Jota and Andre Silva carry their coffins for a service, with a private burial taking place later in the day. Neves served as one of the pallbearers for Jota.
Jota played with Neves more times than any other player in his career – the pair were on the pitch together on 164 occasions.
Ruben Neves, centre, was one of Diogo Jota’s pallbearers at his funeral in Portugal on Saturday
Neves arrived at Diogo Jota’s funeral after travelling from the United States ovenight
Jota's Portugal Team-Mate Joao Cancelo, Right, Was Seen Arriving in Gondomar After Flying in
Like Neves, Cancelo also played in the Club World Cup for Al-Hilal in the USA last night
Cancelo was in tears after a minute’s silence in tribute to former team-mate Jota
Cancelo could be seen fighting back the tears as players gathered around the centre circle
Neves wiped away the tears after Al-Hilal and Fluminense paid tribute to Jota
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (left) and Kalidou Koulibaly (right) gave support to Neves during the minute’s silence
After making his senior debut for Portugal in 2019, Jota made 49 appearances for his country, scoring 14 goals.
Jota and Neves also played together at youth level for Portugal.
Jota was part of the Portugal squad which won the Nations League final against Spain last month.
Cancelo and Jota played 32 games together, with 29 of those coming at senior level for Portugal and the other three taking place at Under-21 level.
Neves and Cancelo had been seen breaking down in tears during a minute’s silence before their match at the Club World Cup last night.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly were seen giving support to Neves during the minute’s silence.
On Thursday, Jota had been travelling to Santander to catch a ferry back to England ahead of pre-season, having been advised not to fly following lung surgery, when the accident occurred.
He and his brother were driving eastward along an isolated stretch of highway, about an hour west of Zamora, when tragedy struck.
Jota made his senior Portugal debut in 2019 and made 49 appearances for his country
Jota was part of the Portugal squad which won the UEFA Nations League last month
Portugal international Renato Veiga, who plays for Chelsea, also arrived at the funeral
Their Lamborghini came off the road, rolled and then burst into flames at around 12.35am, also igniting the surrounding vegetation.
The emergency services were called but the brothers could not be saved.
Spanish government official Angel Blanco said the siblings died at the scene.
