Trent Alexander-Arnold Delivers Touching Tribute to Diogo Jota After Real Madrid Win | OneFootball

An emotional Trent Alexander-Arnold revealed that his late former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota was “there with me” during Real Madrid’s Club World Cup quarterfinal victory over Borussia Dortmund.

Alexander-Arnold spent half a decade playing together with Jota for Liverpool, teeing up 10 of the Portuguese forward’s 65 goals for the Merseyside giants before joining Real Madrid this summer.

The England international was unable to attend Jota’s funeral in Portugal on Saturday as his new club were in action that same day almost 3,500 miles away in New Jersey, but played with the spirit of his good friend alongside him.

“I had to try to perform for the team and help them win the game, no matter how difficult it was,” Alexander-Arnold told DAZN after Madrid’s chaotic 3–2 win. “As hard as it was to do it, I had to push myself to focus on what my job and role was. I tried to do it as best as I could, but it was difficult and I am not going to lie about that.

“[Jota] was one of my close friends—and I am sure that’s what he would have wanted me to do. I’m sure we would have had a laugh and joke about the assist as well. He was there with me, I am sure.”

Alexander-Arnold echoed the sentiment of his former Liverpool colleagues, who universally hailed Jota’s unique character as well as his footballing abilities. Those from all corners of the globe have continued to deliver their own tributes.

Club World Cup Tributes for Diogo Jota

Kylian Mbappé provided a nod to Diogo Jota’s No. 20 shirt during his celebration for Real Madrid. / IMAGO/Gribaudi/ImagePhoto

Amid the rush of adrenaline coursing through the body in the aftermath of scoring a late, decisive strike, both Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé had the coolness and clarity to dedicate their celebrations to Jota.

After delivering an acrobatic scissor kick to nab Madrid’s third and final goal against Dortmund, Mbappé made a 20 symbol with his hands as a nod to Jota’s number for Liverpool. The club announced that they would “rightly immortalise” the forward’s shirt number, thought it remains to be seen quite what that entails.

Dembélé mimicked the FIFA celebration which Jota had been known to perform after applying the finishing touch to Paris Saint-Germain’s bonkers 2–0 win over Bayern Munich. Jota was an avid fan of the video game, setting up his own esports team during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jota won the Premier League’s lockdown FIFA competition during the spring of 2020 while he was still at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Somewhat fittingly, he beat his future friend Alexander-Arnold in the final.