‘He was there with me’ – Trent Alexander-Arnold pays tribute to Diogo Jota after Real Madrid win | OneFootball

Trent Alexander-Arnold has paid his own tribute to Diogo Jota following Real Madrid’s victory over Borussia Dortmund in the Club World Cup on Saturday night.

The pair had been teammates at Liverpool for five years until the 26-year-old’s recent move to Los Blancos, and while Arne Slot’s squad flew to Portugal for the funeral yesterday, the Reds’ former vice-captain was unable to attend due to his current club’s involvement at the FIFA tournament in the United States.

To the immense credit of the West Derby native, he put his personal grief aside to play a telling part in his team’s 3-2 victory, providing the assist for Fran Garcia’s 20th-minute goal, and he acknowledged after the game how hard it had been to take to the pitch.

Trent pays tribute to Diogo Jota

Trent told DAZN: “I had to try to perform for the team and help them win the game, no matter how difficult it was. 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.

“[Diogo] 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.”

(Photo by Peter Byrne – Pool/Getty Images)

Continuing his tribute for his former teammate, Trent added: “It’s been very emotional and heartwarming to see the footballing world unite and come together to show their love and support to [Diogo], his brother and their family.

“I’ve been in around him, his brother, his family, his amazing wife, his parents and his amazing thtee children. It’s truly, truly heartbreaking to wake up to news like that. It’s something you would never expect.

“He was a very close friend, someone who lit up a room when he was in it. I shared the dressing room with him for five years – amazing memories on and off the pitch with him. It goes without saying he will never be forgotten by anyone. He will live long in all our memories for the amazing man and player he was.”

Our thoughts are with Trent at this harrowing time

Diogo’s Liverpool teammates have had the opportunity to grieve together in travelling to his funeral, but for Trent it must’ve been especially difficult to have lost a close friend from afar and still had to carry on with his job due to Real Madrid’s participation in the Club World Cup.

That he managed to channel his own heartbreak into producing an impactful performance for Xabi Alonso’s side reflects brilliantly on his strength of character, and we hope that he has a strong support network around him within the camp as he tried to come to terms with the most horrific news imaginable.

Thursday’s tragic event has put into perspective how footballing matters are secondary in the greater scheme of things, and the condemnation of the 26-year-old for the manner of his transfer to the LaLiga club now seems so trivial and irrelevant.

We wish to thank Trent for his beautiful words about his friend and former teammate, and our thoughts are with him and everybody affected by the heartbreaking events of recent days.

You can see Trent’s tribute to Diogo Jota below, via DAZN Football on X: