Trent Alexander-Arnold has broken his silence following his absence from the funeral ceremony of his former teammate at Liverpool, Diogo Jota, who recently passed away in a car crash.
Softfootball can confirm that the England star, who left boyhood club Liverpool for Real Madrid at the start of June, was unable to attend his former team-mates’ funeral on Saturday due to the Spanish giants’ participation in the ongoing Club World Cup in the United States.
In a tweet posted by DAZN football on X, Trent Alexander-Arnold admitted that it was hard to perform during Real Madrid’s 3-2 win against Borussia Dortmund following the death of his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jota. These were his statements;
“My condolences, my love, my thoughts and prayers to the family of a close friend of mine,”
“It’s been very very difficult for me personally, and also the ones that knew him. Not just team-mates, friends and family, but also the footballing world.
“Some things are bigger than the game. It’s been difficult, but it’s been heartwarming to see the football world unite to show love and support to him and his family, and also his brother. Although it’s been difficult, it’s been a nice showing out from clubs and people uniting and showing love and support for what must be a mind-blowingly hard time for his family.”
Alexander-Arnold added:
“I’ve been in and around him and his brother, his family, his amazing wife, his parents, his amazing three children – it’s truly heartbreaking to wake up to news like that. It’s something you would never expect.”
“He was a very close friend. Someone who lit up a room when he was in it. I shared a dressing room with him for five years. Amazing memories on and off the pitch. It goes without saying he will never be forgotten by anyone.
“He will live long in all our memories for the amazing man and player he was.”
Liverpool’s squad came together in mourning as they joined family, friends, and international teammates to bid farewell to their beloved colleague at his funeral in Gondomar on Saturday.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and team-mate Andy Robertson paid homage by carrying red floral tributes donned with the brothers’ respective shirt numbers.
In a solemn show of respect, head coach Arne Slot, much of the first-team, and prominent figures, including Michael Edwards, pivotal in Jota’s transfer from Wolves to Liverpool in 2020 and now part of Fenway Sports Group, were present alongside sporting director Richard Hughes and head physio Lee Nobes.
The 28-year-old father-of-three, recently wedded to Rute Cardoso, and his late brother Andre Silva were commemorated at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar, near Porto, after losing their lives in a tragic car accident on Thursday.
Softfootball had previously reported that Ousmane Dembélé Paid Emotional Tribute to Diogo Jota After Scoring in Club World Cup. Paris Saint-Germain superstar Ousmane Dembélé paid a touching tribute to the late Diogo Jota after scoring in PSG’s 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Dembélé came into the game with PSG defending a one-goal lead and struck in extra time to seal the win and guarantee the Parisians a place in the semi-finals.
After scoring the decisive goal, Dembélé recreated Jota’s iconic celebration, the same one Jota made after scoring a dramatic 94th-minute winner in Liverpool’s 4-3 victory over Tottenham back in 2023.
