Liverpool icon Ian Rush has opened up on why he wasn’t able to attend Diogo Jota’s funeral last week following the tragic death of the Liverpool star.
Jota, 28, was laid to rest at Gondomar cemetery in Portugal on Saturday after he and his brother, Andre Silva, 25, were killed when their car crashed in the early hours of Thursday morning in northern Spain.
The accident came just 11 days after Jota had married childhood sweetheart Rute Cardoso, also 28, who is the mother of his two sons Dinis, four, and Duarte, two as well as his baby daughter Mafalda, who is just eight months old.
The devastating news has left the footballing world in shock and several stars were present at Jota and his brother’s funeral on Saturday.
This included the Liverpool team, Reds boss Arne Slot and many of Jota’s Portuguese team-mates, such as Ruben Neves, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva.
However, Ian Rush, Liverpool’s all-time leading goalscorer and arguably the club’s greatest ever player, was unable to attend and the Welshman has revealed his own tragic reason for this.
Ian Rush has opened up on the tragic reason why he wasn’t able to attend Diogo Jota’s funeral
Jota was laid to rest in Portugal on Saturday and his Liverpool team-mates were present as football mourned his tragic death following a traffic accident in Spain
Diogo (right) and his brother Andre Silva, 25, (left) were tragically killed in a car accident
‘Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre,’ Rush’s Instagram post began, which was accompanied by a photo of Jota and his brother in Porto kits, along with flowers paying tribute to the Liverpool man.
‘At Liverpool we have always regarded ourselves as one big family. Now one of our family has gone, so we all have to join together and help one another. The last few days have shown that.
‘I was invited and intended to attend Diogo’s funeral, but my brother Gerald had passed away last week, I was in the middle of helping with Gerald’s funeral when the news broke about Diogo. It’s been an incredibly difficult time, and I just wasn’t able to make it.
‘He hadn’t been well for a while, but like with Diogo, it hasn’t really sunk in yet.
‘Diogo’s wife, Rute, their three wonderful children, his parents, and extended family are enduring an unimaginable loss. This heartbreaking accident claimed both Diogo and his brother, André Silva. We grieve deeply for them both.’
Rush, who is a Liverpool ambassador and is regularly seen at games and club engagements, then went on to pay a touching tribute to Jota.
‘Diogo was a great player,’ he continued. ‘Probably the best natural finisher at the club. He always gave 100 percent. He would make a difference whether he started or came on as a substitute. He would never dominate the headlines and that was the same off the pitch.
‘He was a real down to earth person, a real gent. He just got on with things. He will be sadly missed for the special person he was as much as for what he did on a football field for Liverpool and Portugal.’
Rush posted a heartfelt tribute to Jota on social media, while he also explained his absence
Virgil van Dijk (left) and Andrew Robertson (right) carried wreaths for the brothers
Rush called Jota a ‘real down to earth person, a real gent’ and said he ‘will never be forgotten’
Several fans and former players sent their well wishes to Rush and praised his touching tribute
Rush also touched upon the grief the Liverpool squad would be experiencing and the challenges they will face when returning to pre-season training and preparing for the new campaign.
He then concluded his heartfelt post by saying: ‘Diogo will never be forgotten because he has embraced everything Liverpool.
‘Our lad from Portugal. Forever.’
Meanwhile, after Rush had revealed the news of his brother’s passing when explaining his absence, several fans and former Liverpool players were quick to send their well wishes to the 63-year-old, while also praising the Welshman’s Jota tribute.
This included Robbie Fowler, who said: ‘Sorry to hear that news of your brother Tosh… sending you and the family lots of love,’ while Robbie Keane added a broken heart and prayer emoji.
One supporter then said: ‘Beautiful words Ian. My thoughts are with you and your family on this of your brother. YNWA,’ as another added: ‘A touching tribute. So sorry for your loss.’
A third fan then said: ‘Beautiful words Rushy and so sorry for your own loss of your brother too x.’
