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Neves’ touching Jota message: ‘More than friends, we are family’

Originally posted on Empire of the Kop
By Peter Kenny Jones | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 6:58 AM ET

Ruben Neves has shared an emotionally raw tribute to Diogo Jota following Saturday morning’s funeral in Gondomar, where the pair’s deep friendship was plain to see.

The former Wolves and Portugal teammate served as a pallbearer during the ceremony, walking with Jota’s coffin alongside family members and close friends.

Neves posted his message on Instagram the day before the funeral, referring to Jota as “family” in a poetic farewell that has touched fans from Liverpool to Wolverhampton and across Portugal.

‘You will still be next to me on the bus, on the plane’

The Al Hilal midfielder, who played with Jota for three years at Molineux and many more at international level, wrote: “Bug, wherever you are I know you will read this…

More than a friendship, we’re family, and we won’t stop it just because now you decided to sign a contract a little further away from us!”

He added: “When I go to the selection, you’ll still be next to me at the dinner table, on the bus, on the plane… you’ll always be there with me as always.”

“From today on, you will enter the field with me and we will follow our path together, on the stage where we met.”

The message closed with a beautifully personal line, full of affection and shared memories: “Diogoal, you are my favourite lemonade!! Amo-te

”

Wolves, Portugal and Liverpool united in Jota grief

(Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Neves’s tribute underlines the scale of the tragedy beyond Merseyside, with Jota’s death resonating deeply among former clubs and teammates across the footballing world.

Jota joined Wolves from Atletico Madrid in 2017 and helped guide them to Premier League promotion under Nuno Espirito Santo.

The move to Liverpool in 2020 only added to his reputation as one of the most beloved and hardworking forwards in Europe.

Anfield teammates including Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley and Caoimhin Kelleher all travelled to Portugal for the service, while Alisson sent his own moving tribute, promising to support Jota’s partner Rute: “You will never walk alone.”

You can view Neves’s Jota tribute via his Instagram account: