João Cancelo became emotional before Al Hilal’s Club World Cup match against Fluminese. Ruben Neves and Joan Cancelo were seen in tears as a moment of silence is held for Diogo Jota before start of Fluminese vs Al-Hilal. With the unfortunate demise of Diogo Jota, we explore his friendship with João Cancelo.
Was João Cancelo Diogo Jota’s best friend?
Ruben Neves and Cancelo both shared a crucial bond with Diogo Jota, who comes from the same national team as them. Diogo Jota and João Cancelo were international teammates for six long years, and they also shared five seasons together in the PL, playing for Liverpool & Man City respectively. While Diogo Jota and Cancelo played for different English teams, they shared a great relationship.
Diogo Jota died tragically in a car accident on Thursday, leaving behind his wife and 3 children. Both Cancelo and Neves featured in the Fluminese vs Al-Hilal Club World Cup match, and were visibly broken during the moment of silence. Jota was adored by all his teammates, friends and family, who were associated with him due to his compassion. Al-Hilal’s manager had the following to say:
“We have two Portugal players, Rúben Neves and João Cancelo, who were friends to them. Today has been a very difficult day for all of us.”
While Cancelo was a great friend to Diogo Jota, Neves and Jota shared a much deeper bond. They played for the same domestic team for 4 years, which deepened their relationship together, coming from the same nation. Both of them played together at the Premier League club, Wolverhampton Wanderers. While Jota was sold to Liverpool, Neves stayed back at Wolves.
Jota was often seen calling Neves his best friend, who he shared an inseparable bond with. Neves was also visibly heartbroken in his post on Instagram. Neves wrote on his Instagram:
“Life brought us together and now it can’t separate us. We’ve achieved beautiful things together, we still have a lot to achieve, I know we’ll make it.
We hope both Cancelo and Neves cope up with their loss, because sometimes such accidents can leave a long lasting trauma for rest of the lives.
Jota and Neves won UEFA Nations League together this year
Jota and Neves also participated and won the Nations League this year and were spotted partying and enjoying the moment together. Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and others were also part of the squad. João Cancelo missed the Nations League due to injury.
Many Portuguese footballers were also seen attending his funeral. Diogo Dalot, Bruno Fernandes and other stars attended his funeral. His funeral was held in Porto, same city that grew his footballing career. FC Penafiel’s Andre Silva also died in the crash. He was Diogo Jota’s brother who played in the 2nd division in Portugal.
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