AC Milan and Portugal forward Rafael Leao has spoken emotionally about the death of Diogo Jota, describing the profound impact the former Liverpool star had on him and the national team. Jota, 28, died in a car crash in Zamora, Spain, last summer, along with his brother.
Leao recalled Jota's generosity and willingness to help teammates. 'Everyone cared about him,' Leao said in an interview with CBS. 'He was a good teammate and always wanted to help everyone, even me sometimes. Sometimes I used to ask him for a few things and he would also ask me for tickets for his family to come to AC Milan to watch some games.'
Jota's funeral in July was attended by Portugal teammates Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Ruben Neves, as well as former Liverpool player Fabinho, Porto president Andre Villas-Boas, and Portugal manager Roberto Martinez.
Asked whether Jota's memory would inspire Portugal to win the World Cup, Leao said: 'Every game we think about him. Always after a game he was there celebrating and if he could score a goal. And every game we think about him.' Portugal, who have never won the World Cup, were eliminated by Morocco in the quarter-finals in Qatar 2022.
Leao paid tribute to Jota during pre-season by making the number 20 with his fingers after scoring for Milan against Liverpool. Liverpool have retired Jota's number 20 shirt and have a 'Forever 20' emblem on their kits for the season.
