Portugal seek to honour Diogo Jota at World Cup, one year on | OneFootball

Portugal have carried Diogo Jota’s memory through this World Cup, with Friday marking a year since the forward died in a car crash. According to L'Équipe, his absence remains a presence around the squad.

On 3 July 2025 in Palacios de Sanabria, Spain, a Lamborghini driven by Jota or his brother, André Silva, left the road while overtaking, hit the central reservation and caught fire.

Before every Portugal match, Jota’s image appears on stadium screens after the anthem. After the third group game, Roberto Martinez said thoughts of him are daily, that Portugal had won the Nations League with him and that the team want to win the World Cup for him.

Martinez has long stressed this extra inspiration. In May he said Portugal were travelling as 27 plus one, with training goalkeeper Ricardo Velho among the 27 and Jota present in spirit.

Before flying to their Palm Beach base, the squad visited Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. He gave each player a red and green bracelet bearing every name, including Jota’s, and secured permission to wear them on the pitch. The squad chose to wear them.

Jota’s parents, Isabel and Joaquim Silva, attended the opener in Houston on 17 June, a 1-1 draw with DR Congo. They had lost both sons on 3 July 2025.

Close friend Ruben Neves said a World Cup had been Jota’s dream, denied by injury in 2022. He added that having him alongside in spirit now matters most.

Source: L'Équipe