Trent Alexander-Arnold paid a touching tribute to former team-mate Diogo Jota as he opened up on the ‘heartbreaking’ death of the Liverpool star.
Speaking after Real Madrid‘s 3-2 win over Borussia Dortmund at the Club World Cup, the defender admitted it had been difficult to take to the pitch just days after Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, 25, were killed in a car crash in Spain.
Alexander-Arnold had fought back tears as Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund paid tribute to Jota ahead of kick-off.
The 26-year-old was a team-mate of Jota at Liverpool for five years and was visibly moved during the tribute.
He then spoke to DAZN to offer heartwarming words about Jota, who he described as an ‘amazing man’.
‘My condolences and my love, thoughts and prayers to the family of a close friend of mine,’ Alexander-Arnold said. ‘It’s been very difficult for me personally and those who knew him, his friends, family and the footballing world.
Trent Alexander-Arnold fought back the tears during a moment of silence for Diogo Jota
Alexander-Arnold was a team-mate of Jota at Liverpool for five years before leaving
‘Some things are bigger than the game. It’s been very emotional and very heartwarming to see football unite and come together and show their love and support to him, his brother and his family.
‘Although it’s been difficult, it has also been nice showing from everyone, all clubs and everyone showing love and support for what must be a mindblowingly-hard time for the family.
‘I’ve been around him and his brother and his family, his amazing wife, his parents, his amazing three children, so it’s truly heartbreaking to wake up to news like that.
‘It is something you would never ever expect. He was a very close friend. He lit up a room when he was in it. I shared a dressing room with him for five years and have amazing memories on and off the pitch.
‘It goes without saying that he will never be forgotten by anyone. He will live long in our memories for the amazing player and amazing man that he was.’
Alexander-Arnold said Jota was ‘there with him’ as he made an assist in Real’s thrilling victory over Dortmund, which set up a semi-final meeting with PSG.
‘At the end of the day, I still had a job to do today for the team and to try and help us win the game. No matter how difficult it was, I still have a job to do,’ he added.
‘As hard as it was, I had to try and push it to the back of my mind and focus on what was my job and my role today, and do that as best as I could.
Alexander-Arnold took to the pitch for Real Madrid less than 72 hours after the death of Jota
Liverpool stars were among the mourners at Jota’s funeral in Gondomar, Porto on Saturday
Many of Jota’s Liverpool team-mates past and present attended the funeral service
‘I did it for my close friend. I’m sure this was what he would have wanted me to do. He was there with me today I’m sure.’
The 26-year-old and his Real Madrid team also held a minute’s silence in training on Thursday, with the right back then sharing a heartfelt message.
Within the message, he detailed how much Jota meant to him and admitted he was struggling to come to terms with the news.
‘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,’ Alexander-Arnold wrote.
He continued: ‘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.
‘Forever number 20. Rest in peace, Diogo.’
The duo played together for Liverpool for five years, featuring in 144 games as team-mates, before Alexander-Arnold departed for Real Madrid this summer.
Jota died alongside his brother when his Lamborghini had a tyre blow out while overtaking another vehicle on the A-52 at Cernadilla near Zamora – just ten miles over the border from Portugal.
Together, Alexander-Arnold and Jota played together 144 times over five years for Liverpool
The car is said to have rolled and burst into flames, with emergency services unable to save the footballing duo. Jota’s brother, Andre Silva, 26, played for Portuguese second division side Penafiel.
Jota and Silva were headed to Santander to catch a ferry to Britain after Diogo was advised not to fly following lung surgery, it was reported in his home country.
His death, which cast clouds of sorrow over the footballing world, came just two weeks after he married his girlfriend and mother of their three kids Rute Cardoso in Porto, his home city.
Many of Jota’s Liverpool team-mates past and present attended the funeral service in Gondomar, Portugal, on Saturday.
Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Joe Gomez were among those who paid their respects, with Van Dijk and Robertson seen carrying floral tributes into the church.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot and several Portuguese internationals, including Bruno Fernandes, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves, also attended, joining hundreds of mourners who lined the streets to honour Jota, who scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool and won the Premier League title with the club last season.
