Andy Robertson has shared his own heartfelt tribute to his good friend Diogo Jota following the Liverpool star's tragic death.
Tributes have been paid across the world of soccer after the Portuguese international's death at the age of 28, following a car crash in Spain. Jota had been traveling with his brother Andre Silva, who also died in the accident, with the forward understood to have been making his way back to Liverpool after being told not to fly following surgery.
Jota's teammates have been posting their messages and memories of the forward throughout the day, with Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott among those to pay tribute on social media, as well as former Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Robertson has now joined the growing list of tributes, with the defender having spent time with Jota recently as he attended his teammate's wedding last month.
Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso just 10 days before his death, with Robertson and goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher - who joined Brentford earlier in the summer - among the attendees after becoming close friends with the Portuguese star.
In a tribute posted on Instagram, Robertson shared an image of the trio together with their partners at Jota's wedding in Portugal alongside an incredibly emotional message.
"The ones I’m thinking about most right now are the family," Robertson wrote. "Their loss is too much to bear. I’m so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls – Diogo and Andre.
Andy Robertson and Caoimhin Kelleher attended Diogo Jota's wedding in Portugal
Andy Robertson and Caoimhin Kelleher attended Diogo Jota's wedding in Portugal (Image: andyrobertson94)
"For the team and the Club, we’ll try to cope with this together… however long that takes. For me, I want to talk about my mate. My buddy. The bloke I loved and will miss like crazy.
"I could talk about him as a player for hours, but none of that feels like it matters right now. It’s the man. The person. He was such a good guy. The best. So genuine. Just normal and real.
"Full of love for the people he cared about. Full of fun. He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever met. We used to joke he was really Irish… I’d try to claim him as Scottish, obviously. I even called him Diogo MacJota.
"We’d watch the darts together, enjoy the horse racing. Going to Cheltenham this season was a highlight - one of the best we had.
"The last time I saw him was the happiest day of his life – his wedding day. I want to remember his never-ceasing smile from that magical day. How much he was bursting with love for his wife and family.
"I can’t believe we’re saying goodbye. It’s too soon, and it hurts so much. But thank you for being in my life, mate – and for making it better.
"Love you, Diogo."
Jota's funeral will reportedly begin at 3pm on Friday afternoon in the same location in which his wedding took place. CNN Portugal, via the Daily Mail, reports that Jota will be laid to rest in Sao Cosme, in his home city of Porto, northern Portugal. The wake will begin on Friday before a funeral mass takes place on Saturday morning.