Portugal stars wear Diogo Jota tribute wristbands for World Cup game vs DR Congo
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Liverpool.com or go back to LFC Live.
Liverpool FC NewsFeaturesDiogo JotaPortugal players are wearing special FIFA-approved wristbands bearing Diogo Jota's name as a touching tribute to the late Liverpool star during their World Cup opener against DR Congo on WednesdayPortugal's players will pay tribute to Diogo Jota on Wednesday(Image: Getty Images)Portugal's World Cup players are wearing special wristbands for their opening game against DR Congo on Wednesday.The move is a profoundly personal tribute to Diogo Jota. The former Liverpool forward, who collected 49 caps for Portugal and netted 14 goals for his nation, tragically lost his life alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car accident in northwestern Spain last year.The green and red wristbands were a present from Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro, who gifted them to the squad during a pre-tournament gathering.
Each wristband bears the names of every member of the current World Cup party, alongside Jota's.The bands were specifically manufactured to comply with FIFA's stringent equipment and on-pitch regulations.This permits Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, and the remainder of the squad to wear them during live match action.Midfielder Vitinha confirmed that the decision to wear the wristbands during their opening Group K fixture was made by the squad as a whole.Jota passed away last year(Image: Getty Images)The PSG star said: "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."Portugal's coach, Roberto Martinez, has been outspoken about the squad drawing strength from Jota's tragic passing throughout this tournament while honoring his legacy.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."Choose Liverpool.com as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Diogo JotaLiverpool FCFIFA World Cup