Portugal will play Croatia in Toronto on Thursday evening for a place in the last 16 at the World Cup, and the match falls on the first anniversary of Diogo Jota death. For Portugal, the date turns a knockout game into a memory test as well as a football one.
Neves Keeps Jota Close
Ruben Neves said, "I still talk to him," and he added, "Few people know this," when discussing the way he keeps Jota present in daily life. He also said, "We have a WhatsApp group with Rute and Diogo, and it's still there, and we continue to talk there."
Neves wears Jota's number 21 national shirt at the World Cup, a small but visible link between the present squad and the forward who scored 14 times in 49 appearances for Portugal. His final message in the group is the kind of detail that shows how the squad has kept one absent player in the room without turning the story into ceremony.
Martinez Named A Plus-One
Roberto Martinez named Jota as an honorary 'plus-one' player when he announced his squad in May, keeping him part of Portugal's tournament structure even after his death. Martinez said, "Diogo is our sun and our light," and Portugal have carried that line into a World Cup campaign built around the same player they lost.
Jota died in a car accident in Spain on 3 July 2025, 11 days after marrying Rute Cardoso. Andre Silva was also killed in the accident, and Jota was 28. He was on his way back to Liverpool for pre-season when the Lamborghini he was travelling in left the road because of a tyre blowout while overtaking another vehicle.
Portugal's High-Stakes Tribute
Jota made the trip to England by car and ferry because doctors had advised him against flying after minor surgery. That route explains why the final journey took place on the road rather than in the air, and it gives the anniversary added weight for Portugal as they try to honor him in a match that still has a result attached to it.
The team also enters the game with recent success behind it. Portugal won the Nations League in 2025, and Jota posted, "With you by our side, everything is possible. Thank you, Portugal!," after Portugal beat Spain in Stuttgart to lift that trophy a month before his death. One year later, the national team faces Croatia in Toronto with the same shirt, the same competition pressure and the same absence in the background.
What happens on Thursday evening will decide whether Portugal move on to the last 16, but the tribute will be measured in how they handle the match itself. The shirt Neves wears, the place Jota still holds in the squad and the date on the calendar all point to the same thing: Portugal are playing for progression while carrying a loss they have not put down.
