Mohamed Salah has paid tribute to Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota following his heartbreaking death on Thursday, July 3.

Tributes have been pouring in from all over the world. Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Jurgen Klopp, Arne Slot, Bruno Fernandes, Kylian Mbappe and other football personalities have mourned the striker.

The forward played for Paços de Ferreira, Porto, Wolves, and Liverpool. He joined the Reds in 2020 and established himself as a reliable attacker.

Jota and his brother Andre Silva died when their tire blew out, forcing the car they were in to go off-road, making impact and bursting into flames. The incident occurred at half past midnight in northwestern Spain.

The Lamborghini Urus they were reportedly in suffered a puncture while overtaking.

On Thursday, news of Jota’s death sent shockwaves through the football world. Liverpool issued a statement expressing their devastation, while captain Virgil van Dijk and his teammates shared heartfelt tributes.

"Man, I can’t believe it, I don’t wanna believe it. Absolutely devastated and in total disbelief. What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man. You meant so much to all of us and you always will!" Van Dijk wrote on Instagram.

"I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family."

The Liverpool attacker perished along with his brother Andre Silva after their car veered off the road and caught fire.

"I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break. Team mates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back," he wrote on Instagram.

"My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents who suddenly lost their children. Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten."

The two players played 150 games together and combined for 19 goals.

In a statement, Liverpool said they will immortalise the No.20 for his contributions to Liverpool's 2024/25 Premier League title.

Interestingly, Jota's last goal was in the Merseyside derby in April, which sealed their 20th English title.

Fans had called on the club to retire the jersey because it symbolises their 20th English title and Jota.

Earlier, reported that Ronaldo paid a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota on social media.

Ronaldo said Jota's death does not make sense since he had just married Rute Cardoso and played with Portugal.

Ronaldo's tribute on Instagram has been liked 20 million times and has gotten 320,000 comments.

Source: TUKO.co.ke