Roberto Martinez pays emotional Diogo Jota tribute ahead of World Cup campaign

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Portugal heads into this year's World Cup paying tribute to Diogo Jota, with head coach Roberto Martinez giving an emotional homage to the late Liverpool forwardRoberto Martinez has paid tribute to Diogo Jota ahead of Portugal's World Cup campaign(Image: (Photo by Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images))Portugal head coach Roberto Martinez has claimed Diogo Jota will be a guiding light for his team at the World Cup this summer, paying tribute to the late Liverpool forward ahead of the tournament.The 28-year-old played 49 times for his nation, becoming a regular under Martinez and the coaches before him, picking up 14 goals and 12 assists in that time. Jota won the UEFA Nations League twice in his time with the Portuguese national team before his untimely passing last summer in a road traffic incident.Tributes and memorials have been set up to remember the Liverpool ace and his brother Andre Silva, who also passed away in the incident.

Fans have applauded in the 20th minute at Anfield every game while singing his chant, in reference to his squad number, while Liverpool released a permanent memorial to Jota last month.It was a tragic passing that impacted everyone Jota touched in his life and football career, from his former clubs to his national team, where he was a key player.Portugal heads into the World Cup with a clear void without the star, with head coach Martinez giving an emotional tribute in reflection of Jota's life and career.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.Diogo Jota played a key role in Portugal winning the UEFA Nations League in 2025(Image: (Photo by Maja Hitij - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images))"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.“The way that he found the way against Denmark in the quarterfinals was the difference in the Nations League campaign.“So, for us, he’s become a real focus and probably an extra bit of energy and light in those difficult moments that you have as a football team, as a national team, and we need to use his inspiration until the end because he’s part of us.”Jota's World Cup dream was outlined clearly by his wife, Rute Cardoso, who recently wrote a letter to former Liverpool star Andy Robertson, who is set to take to the stage with Scotland for the country's first entry in the tournament since 1998.She described that winning the competition was of great importance to the forward, and wanted him to be in the Scotland captain's thoughts when he leads the team out against Haiti for the first match.Robertson, much like Martinez, vowed to have Jota with him through the campaign, underlining the heartbreak that he couldn't be at the tournament, and just how much he means to everyone he was in contact with.Jota's absence may be felt, but it's clear that to those he held dearly, he will still be there with them.