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Trent Alexander-Arnold has paid tribute to his former teammate Diogo Jota after his tragic death was confirmed on Thursday morning.
The 28-year-old and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in Zamora, northwestern Spain in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the Spanish Guardia Civil confirming the siblings were travelling on the A52 in a vehicle which caught fire.
Witnesses who made the call to emergency services say the car, which was a Lamborghini, became "engulfed in flames" after a tyre blew out while overtaking.
"The information that we have so far is that the car, which was a Lamborghini, was in a road traffic accident and left the road due to a tyre blowout while overtaking," a statement from the Guardia Civil said.
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"It was in the early hours, 00:30 BST, in the municipality of Cernadilla, in the province of Zamora. The car caught on fire and the two occupants were killed."
Jota's passing came just days after he married long-time partner Rute Cardoso, the mother of his three children, and weeks after he helped Portugal win the UEFA Nations League for the second time.
A flurry of tributes were shared honouring the late Portugal international, including Liverpool, his former clubs, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jurgen Klopp and current Liverpool boss Arne Slot.
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On Thursday evening, a heartbroken Alexander-Arnold took to Instagram to post a poignant piece as he remembered a "great teammate" and "true friend" he shared a dressing room with at Anfield for five years.
"It’s so difficult to find the right words when your head and heart are struggling to accept that someone you care so much about has gone," the Real Madrid and England right-back wrote alongside a carousel of pictures.
"Diogo, your family was your world. They were everything. For Rute, his children, and his parents, all of our hearts are broken. And for Andre as well. Brothers and best friends.
"When it’s less painful, I want to remember Diogo with a big smile. So many laughs and happy moments. He was such a great teammate and a true friend.
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"Forever number 20. Rest in peace, Diogo."
Liverpool honour Diogo Jota by immortalising his shirt number
Together, Jota and Alexander-Arnold won the FA Cup and Carabao Cup alongside as well as helping deliver Liverpool's 20th league title last season.
His final goal was the winner in the Merseyside derby against rivals Everton, his 65th in all competitions since joining from Wolves in 2020.
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After requests aplenty from fans, Liverpool announced that the No.20 will be "rightly immortalised" in honour of Jota's memory.
According to priest Jose Manuel Macedo, the wake for Jota and his brother will take place on Friday afternoon at the Sao Cosme Chapel before the funeral at the Catholic church next door on Saturday morning.
"The bodies of the brothers will arrive at the resurrection chapel for the wake which will take place tomorrow and then the funeral will be at 10am on Saturday," he told CNN Portugal, via the Daily Mail.
"We're available to celebrate [their life] with everyone and to share the pain and the Christian hope."
Topics: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Josh Lawless