Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Andy Robertson, Liverpool, Diogo Jota
Josh Lawless
Andy Robertson paid tribute to Diogo Jota in beautiful fashion with a post which perfectly captured what a beloved person the late Liverpool star was.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in Zamora, northwestern Spain in the early hours of Thursday morning while travelling to Santander.
The car suffered a tyre blowout while overtaking and immediately caught fire, with emergency services pronouncing the two brothers dead at the scenes.
Jota had only recently married his long-time partner Rute Cardoso and the couple shared three young children together.
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The 28-year-old's tragic death brought tributes aplenty from the footballing world, including Cristiano Ronaldo and his former Liverpool managers Jurgen Klopp and Arne Slot, who were left heartbroken by the news.
Trent Alexander-Arnold struggled to find words as he mourned his pal, who he said was "such a great teammate and a true friend".
Andy Robertson was similarly stunned to hear the devastating news and started his tribute by thinking of Jota's family at this tough time.
He then shared wonderful memories of his five years spent with Jota, focusing on what he was like as a person rather than a player and calling him the "most British foreign player" he had ever met as he nicknamed the former Wolves man "Diogo MacJota".
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Robertson also shared a picture and memory of Jota's wedding day - "the happiest day" of the forward's life and the last time he saw him.
"The ones I’m thinking about most right now are the family," Robertson wrote on Instagram.
"Their loss is too much to bear. I’m so sorry that they have lost two such precious souls – Diogo and Andre.
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"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.
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"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.
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"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 scored 65 goals for Liverpool - his last being the winner in the Merseyside derby against Everton - and won two Carabao Cups, one FA Cup and the Premier League.
The club have said his No.20 will be "rightly immortalised" after many fans demanded his shirt be retired.
With the Portugal national team, Jota won two UEFA Nations League - including the triumph over Spain on penalties just last month.
Jota and his brother's funerals are set to take place imminently in Portugal on Saturday, a day after a wake at the Sao Cosme Chapel in their hometown of Gondomar.