Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister are the latest Liverpool stars to pay tribute to Diogo Jota after their teammate's tragic death aged just 28
Liverpool stars Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister have both paid tribute after team-mate Diogo Jota tragically died in a car crash. Jota, 28, and his brother, Andre, were killed in the early hours of Thursday morning near Zamora in northwestern Spain.
Tributes have flooded in from around the world, as the football community mourns his loss. Jota was a father of three and married his wife, Rute Cardoso, only two weeks ago.
The Portuguese joined Liverpool from Wolves for £45million in 2020 and went on to win the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. For the final two of those, Jota played alongside Szoboszlai and Mac Allister.
Both players paid tribute via Instagram, with Mac Allister saying: "I can't believe it. I will always remember your smiles, your anger, your intelligence, your companionship and everything that made you a person. It hurts a lot, we will miss you. Rest in peace dear Diogo."
Szoboszlai followed up with: "Words cannot describe how heartbroken and devastated we are... Your smile, your love for the game will never be forgotten. We will miss you so much, but you will stay with us forever, on and off the pitch. Our thoughts and prayers are with your family. Rest in peace, brother."
Jota was also an inspiration off the pitch, as revealed by former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock. "You saw the smile on his face when he played," Warnock told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"He was always that bubbly character, but he was also a fiery person as well, on the pitch. He had that lovely balance. He was always happy to give up his time [when giving interviews for radio and TV], more than gracious when he spoke to people, very respectful but also a very charismatic character - around the training ground and also around the stadium as well.
"I don't think you become a fans' favourite without being that type of person - he was so likeable. You would always see him engaging with people and fans. From that side of things he was just a lovely person."
"You saw the smile on his face when he played. He was always that bubbly character, but he was also a fiery person as well, on the pitch. He had that lovely balance.
"He was always happy to give up his time [when giving interviews for radio and TV], more than gracious when he spoke to people, very respectful but also a very charismatic character - around the training ground and also around the stadium as well. I don't think you become a fans' favourite without being that type of person - he was so likeable."
Warnock lived near Jota and said that he'd often see him around his neighbourhood. "You would always see him engaging with people and fans," he added. "From that side of things he was just a lovely person."
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