Salah and Jota were instrumental in Liverpool’s Premier League title win last season.
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has expressed profound grief, stating it will be “extremely difficult to accept” the passing of his teammate, Diogo Jota.
Jota, 28, died in a car accident alongside his brother, Andre Silva, 25.
“I am truly lost for words,” stated Salah, who joined Liverpool in the summer of 2017.
“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.”
“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 Guardia Civil confirmed to BBC Sport that both men died at approximately 00:30 local time on Thursday.
Jota was en route back to Liverpool for pre-season training. Due to recent minor surgery, doctors advised against air travel, leading him to make the journey by car and ferry.
Doctor Miguel Goncalves, who oversaw Jota’s recovery, remembered him as an “unparalleled professional.”
Speaking to Portuguese sports newspaper Record, he stated: “I started working with him last Saturday and I was with him every day until this Wednesday. I said goodbye to him at dinner time.”
“He made an extraordinary recovery – he was undoubtedly an unparalleled professional. He strictly followed what I told him, as you could see in the way he was recovering.”
“He was excited, confident in his recovery and enthusiastic about the next season.”
Eleven days prior to the accident, Jota married his longtime partner, Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children.
Diogo Jota: A Tribute
Death of Liverpool forward Jota leaves football world in shock
Liverpool forward Jota dies in car crash
Several Liverpool players were scheduled to return from their summer break on Friday for initial physical assessments at the club’s training facilities.
Those assessments have been postponed, with a phased return for players now scheduled for Monday.
Liverpool, under manager Arne Slot, are scheduled to play their first pre-season match against Preston North End on Sunday, July 13.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher also paid tribute to “one of my closest friends in football.”
“We bonded over all things, sports, watching any football match we could find – often your brother Andre’s game on your iPad,” Kelleher shared.
“I was surprised a lad from Portugal loved sports such as darts, snooker and horse racing so much and some of my best memories were having a laugh watching them with you.”
“It’s going hurt for a long time and I’m going miss you so much but I feel so lucky to have got to know you and have such a good friend.”
A vigil for Jota and Silva will be held at the Chapel of Resurrection in their hometown of Gondomar on Friday.
A funeral service will take place at 10:00 on Saturday at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar.
Portugal and Nottingham Forest midfielder Jota Silva laid a wreath outside the chapel, where a private wake for the brothers’ relatives took place on Friday afternoon.
Locals and fans have been paying tribute to Jota outside the football academy in Gondomar where he played from the age of nine to 17.
The academy is named in his honor, and a photo depicts Jota as a child, proudly wearing the colors of both the Portugal national team and his hometown club.
Respects have also been paid at Liverpool and his former club, Wolves, which he left in 2020 to join the Reds.
Everton players Beto and Youssef Chermiti, both Portuguese, along with former Toffees midfielder Ian Snodin, placed wreaths in Jota and Silva’s memory outside Anfield.
Liverpool has established a book of condolences in the Anfield Road Stand reception area, with an online version made available “accessible to fans across the globe.”
Fans have been laying tributes to Jota at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium
Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson laid a tribute to Jota outside Anfield
The football academy in Gondomar is named after Diogo Jota
Tributes for Jota have also been laid at former club Wolves
Everton players Youssef Chermiti (left) and Beto (right), who are both Portuguese, and former Toffees midfielder Ian Snodin (centre) laid wreaths at Anfield
Nottingham Forest and Portugal midfielder Jota Silva (centre) laid a wreath outside the Chapel of Resurrection in Gondomar
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