Caoimhin Kelleher makes heartbreaking admission over death of Diogo Jota
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Former Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher has admitted that this summer has been challenging following the passing of his close friend Diogo Jota.
The pair grew close during their time on Merseyside, with Kelleher and Andy Robertson the only members of the Liverpool squad at Jota’s wedding in Portugal in June, which came just 11 days before the Portugal star tragically died in car crash in northern Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva.
Kelleher was part of the Liverpool delegation that flew to Gondomar for the siblings’ funeral, while the goalkeeper posted an emotional tribute to his former team-mate following the devastating events of the summer.
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Kelleher, who joined Brentford from Liverpool during the transfer window, had not spoken publicly about Jota since his death, but was asked about the tragedy on Wednesday.
“It’s not been the easiest of times for me personally,” said the 26-year-old ahead of the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifier against Hungary on Saturday.
“Obviously, for the lads at Liverpool as well, it’s going to be difficult but it’s been a tough time for myself.
“He’s obviously a big miss and the loss of a huge friend so it’s been difficult, as you can imagine.”
Kelleher and Jota were close friends during their time at Liverpool
The national side has confirmed Ruben Neves, Jota’s friend and former team-mate at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Porto, will inherit his no.21 jersey.
Neves has also revealed a tattoo in honor of Jota, while he read an emotional letter in memory of the late Liverpool forward that was shared on social media this week.
The Portuguese FA has unveiled a bronze statue of Jota’s shirt, and his wife, Rute Cardoso, and his parents were presented with a medal in his honor.
As for Kelleher, his next international match will see him face former team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai, the scorer of Liverpool’s sensational winner against Arsenal on Sunday.
Kelleher will be looking out for these sorts of Szoboszlai free-kicks on Sunday
The way he strikes the ball, he puts a lot of different movement on the football.
“Maybe you don’t see it to the naked eye, but certainly as a goalkeeper you can see it.
“I know him quite well from Liverpool and one of his biggest threats is his shooting ability so for sure I think we need to limit that on Saturday