Portugal coach targets World Cup glory to honour Diogo Jota
By Luke Oluoch, June 28, 2026Portugal coach Roberto Martínez paid an emotional tribute to Diogo Jota, stating that the team is driven to win the World Cup in his memory.
In a telling tribute to the renowned footballer who perished in a grisly accident in Spain on July 3, 2025, Martinez termed the former Liverpool star as the biggest inspiration of Portugal’s ambition to lift the 2026 World Cup.
Win for him
“We want to win the World Cup for him,” he said. He is probably the sign and the light of the biggest stimulation that we have. We want to win the World Cup for him,” he added.
With the anniversary of the former Portugal striker approaching, Martinez opened up about how the team continues to carry his spirit with them even amid the demands of the ongoing 2026 World Cup schedule.
“The anniversary is a moment to make it a Diogo Jota game,” he explained.
Everything we started in this team was with him. We won the national league with him, and the difficulty is every day when he’s not there physically but when he is with us.
“Every day is difficult when you are training; there are always moments and days when Diogo Jota comes back to our memories. His anniversary should not be a difficult moment for us. I would say there is a little bit of a celebration,” he stated.
As part of a rare tradition, the Portuguese national team players have been donning bracelets with the name of every teammate, including former teammate Diogo Jota, at the 2026 World Cup
Diogo Jota
Jota, 28, had just won the Premier League title with Liverpool in the concluded season and played for Portugal’s national team.
He had also got married to Rute Cardoso just two weeks before he met his untimely death after his Lamborghini crashed near Zamora in northwestern Spain.
His brother, André Silva, a player with Penafiel in the second tier of Portuguese soccer, also perished in the accident.
He earned 49 caps for the Portuguese national team, winning the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
Jota played an important role in Liverpool’s recent title-winning season, scoring six goals and providing four assists in 26 appearances.