The Portugal national football team will face Croatia in Toronto on Thursday evening, dedicating the World Cup round of 32 match to late forward Diogo Jota on the first anniversary of his death.
Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car accident in Spain on July 3, 2025, just 11 days after his wedding to Rute Cardoso.
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Head coach Roberto Martinez has named Jota as an honorary 27th squad member for the tournament, with players wearing commemorative wristbands provided by Prime Minister Luis Montenegro.
Team's Emotional Connection
Midfielder Ruben Neves, who wears Jota's number 21 shirt and has a tattoo in his honor, revealed the team maintains contact through an archived WhatsApp group.
"Few people know this.
We have a WhatsApp group with Rute and Diogo, and it's still there, and we continue to talk there," Neves said.
"Whenever something special happens, I have the conversations archived on my WhatsApp so I can continue to send him messages," he added.
Neves, who played for Al Hilal at the Club World Cup before assisting with Jota's coffin at the funeral in Gondomar on July 5, 2025, described the day after the news as the most difficult of his life.
"I and the entire national team will do everything we can to keep Diogo here with us, on our team," Neves said.
"The most important aspect for me to be able to play was wanting to play for Diogo first."
