Liverpool legend Ian Rush has revealed the heartbreaking reason why he wasn’t able to attend the funeral of Diogo Jota last week.
The Liverpool forward and his brother Andre Silva were killed in a car crash in northwest Spain in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The two were laid to rest in their hometown of Gondomar on Saturday in a private funeral mass.
Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, whom he wed just two weeks ago, and their three children were joined by a delegation from Liverpool, with Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson carrying wreaths into the church for their teammate.
Portugal teammates, including Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, were also in attendance to pay tribute to the forward, whose last-ever match saw him help his country win the Nations League over Spain.
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Rush, Liverpool’s all-time leading goalscorer, was unable to attend over the weekend, but the Welshman revealed that a death in his own family had prevented him from attending.
Writing on Instagram, Rush said: ‘Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. 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.’
Paying further tribute to Jota, who scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the Merseyside club, Rush added: ‘Diogo was a great player, 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.’
Having postponed the start of pre-season after Jota’s passing, Liverpool are now reportedly set to return to training this week.
‘This is especially hard for the Liverpool players who will soon be back in pre-season training,’ Rush added, sending his support to those players as they begin gearing up for the new Premier League season.
‘They are just expected to get on with the job but they are just human beings at the end of the day who experience the same emotions as the rest of us.
‘Some players will be affected more than others. I think right now it’s been hard for everyone to take in what has happened. You try to continue as normal. but that is impossible. It’s so weird, and for some there will be a delayed reaction because the enormity of what has happened hasn’t sunk in yet.
‘I believe when someone dies you get on with things and it’s only a few weeks later that the full extent of the awful loss gets you. You know you have to get on with life but that’s hard. Diogo will never be forgotten because he has embraced everything Liverpool.
‘Our lad from Portugal. Forever.’
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