The Portugal national team is honoring their late teammate Diogo Jota in a deeply personal way during their World Cup opener against DR Congo. Players are wearing special wristbands as a heartfelt tribute to the Liverpool legend, who tragically died alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in northwestern Spain last year.
Personal Gift from Prime Minister
The green and red wristbands were a personal gift from Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, who presented them to the squad during a pre-tournament gathering. Each wristband carries the names of every current World Cup squad member, alongside Jota's name, making it a unique and sentimental token of remembrance.
FIFA Approval Secured
The wristbands were specifically manufactured to meet FIFA's stringent equipment and on-pitch rules, allowing the Portugal squad to wear them during active play. This ensures the tribute remains visible throughout the tournament without violating any regulations.
Team Decision
Midfielder Vitinha confirmed that the decision to wear the wristbands during their opening Group K fixture was taken by the squad as a whole. The PSG star explained: "Basically, the story of the wristband is, when we went to meet with the Prime Minister, he offered us this wristband. They made sure that it was a wristband that we could wear on the pitch. It has all the specifics for us to be able to enter the pitch with it, with the name of all the players plus the special name of Diogo Jota. He let us choose if we wanted to use it or not, how [we use it], during the day or during the match. We received it with a lot of affection and we chose to use it."
Drawing Inspiration from Diogo
Manager Roberto Martinez has spoken openly about the side drawing inspiration from Jota's heartbreaking passing throughout this competition and keeping his memory alive. He told The Athletic: "Diogo is our light. Diogo is our reference of wanting to do or needing to do what his dream was, which was winning titles for Portugal, like he did winning the Nations League. He was a big part of what we built in the dressing room. He wanted to win the World Cup so it becomes a bit of a responsibility, an example, because Diogo was the pure example of believing in whatever could be possible, always with that tenacity, always finding the answer in the right moment in the difficult moment in the game."
Jota earned 49 caps and scored 14 goals for Portugal, and his legacy continues to inspire the squad as they pursue World Cup glory.
