Who is Diego Jota? For whom Cristiano Ronaldo cried in the middle of the field, video after the World Cup match goes viral

Who is Diego Jota?: Portugal defeated Croatia 2-1 in the Round of 32 match of FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday. During this match, even though Cristiano Ronaldo’s play on the field may not have been the most impressive as usual, he definitely looked the most emotional after the match was over. Ronaldo scored the first World Cup knockout goal of his historic career in this match and after taking the team to the Round of 16, he paid a beautiful tribute to his late teammate Diego Jota.

After the match ended, tears could be clearly seen in Ronaldo’s eyes. He wore Jota’s number 21 jersey and pointed towards the sky, as if he was giving the message that this thrilling win over Croatia was completely dedicated to the former Liverpool forward.

Who is Diego Jota?

Diego Jota was a very talented Portuguese footballer and the star forward of the famous English Premier League (EPL) club Liverpool. Jota, who was an important member of the Portugal national team, had a big dream of playing and winning the World Cup for the country. But last year, on July 3, 2025, he and his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva died in a tragic car accident at the age of just 28.

This accident happened in Serrandilla, Spain, when Jota was going to the UK by car instead of flight on the advice of doctors after lung surgery, so that he could be part of pre-season training with Liverpool.

The team gave a unique honor

To honor their teammate, the Portugal team took another very heart-touching step. Portugal symbolically included Jota in its official squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026. Portugal manager Roberto Martínez said that Jota’s memories and his energy still give the team the strength to move forward. He described Jota as the ‘light’ and inspiration of the team. By keeping him in the team, the Federation decided that his name would always be recorded in the official tournament records.

Ronaldo wore Jota’s jersey number after winning against dedicating it to him. You can clearly see that the whole team misses Jota.

Jota would forever in our hearts An emotional thing to watch, this is what football is all about. pic.twitter.com/rtTLyL2pFL

— Eugene (@UTDEugeneee) July 3, 2026

The whole team became emotional after the victory

As Portugal sealed victory in a tough clash on Thursday, Ronaldo made sure no one forgot Jota. Tears were flowing down Ronaldo’s face and his teammates surrounded him on the field. In this emotional moment, the entire team was seen standing united with their captain.

After the match, Ronaldo said, ‘We knew this even before the match. This was a very special moment. Today our team was talking about how strange and unbelievable the coincidences of life are. I myself was surprised to see today’s situation. This victory means a lot to us, not just because we won, but because of the way we won. This was a very difficult match.

After defeating Croatia, now Ronaldo’s Portugal team will face Spain in the big match of the Round of 16.

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