Luis Diaz has shared a heartfelt message as he mourned the tragic loss of his Liverpool colleague Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident. The Colombian winger was deeply affected by the news and regretted not being able to attend the funeral due to circumstances.
Diaz opened up about his grief on Win Sports, expressing how the sudden passing of Jota left him and the team in shock. He spoke highly of Jota's influence on him at Anfield, highlighting their close friendship and the welcoming environment Jota provided when Diaz joined the club.
"Obviously it's very hard. It's very hard to find out about news like that, isn't it?" said Diaz. "The first thing you do when you wake up is to look at the news, which is very sad because of what happened, honestly.
"The family among us, it caught us all off guard and I don't think anyone is prepared for that kind of news.
"A team-mate, instrumental in my arrival in Liverpool because his family welcomed me, he welcomed me and we became great friends. We had a great, healthy rivalry and he was important. We always agree on many things.
"I just want to wish him a lot of strength, give a lot of strength to his family, to his wife, to his children that he left behind. Because the truth is they must be suffering a lot from this terrible news.
"(It hurts) a lot, a lot. It was incredible when I woke up and saw the news. The truth is I broke down in tears. It as a very, very, very big pain."
Diaz also reflected on how much it meant when Jota displayed his support after Diaz's parents were kidnapped, by running to the sidelines and holding aloft his shirt after scoring against Nottingham Forest in October 2023.
"I remember that he had a very, very nice gesture towards me and that is always going to stay with me," he said. "Just like I said on the photo I uploaded to social media.
"I just want to tell him to rest in peace, that I will carry a great friend with me in my heart who will always be remembered by his team, by his family, by his friends and by everyone he left behind."
Diaz had posted a special tribute to Jota on social media, writing: "I have no words... It hurts in my soul. Not just for what he was on the pitch, but for the person he was off of it.
"There are gestures that one never forgets, and Diogo had one with me that will accompany me all my life."