New Delhi: Argentina's World Cup-winning icon Lionel Messi paid tribute to Liverpool striker Diogo Jota following his tragic death in a car accident.
Liverpool and Portugal forward Jota died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday at the age of 28. According to Sky Sports, Jota was in the automobile with his brother at the time of the accident. The Premier League and Liverpool Football Club used their official social media channels to express condolences to the footballer.
Messi went to Instagram and shared a story saying QEPD, which is short for que en paz descanse, which translates to Rest in Peace in Spanish.
Jota began his football career in his hometown of Porto, Portugal, where he attended the Pacos de Ferreira academy before moving to Atletico Madrid in the Spanish League in 2016. However, he never played for Atletico Madrid and instead returned to Porto on loan. The Portuguese player joined the Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers, sometimes known as Wolves, in 2018, and he spent the following two years under fellow Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo.
In September 2020, Jota was acquired by another Premier League club, Liverpool. With the Reds, he won the 2024-25 Premier League title. He was also a member of the Liverpool team that lost to Real Madrid 1-0 in the 2021/22 Champions League final, for which he was a substitute. This season, the player has appeared in 26 matches for Liverpool and scored six goals.
Jota made his first appearance for the Portugal national team in November 2019 and has since participated in Euro 2022 and 2024. However, he was unable to participate in the FIFA World Cup 2022 due to injury. Recently, in May of this year, Jota was a member of the Portugal squad that won the UEFA Nations League, defeating Spain on penalties for their second Nations League title.
