Diogo Jota was laid to rest in Gondomar on Saturday, with a host of Liverpool team-mates past and present in attendance – but Alisson sadly could not make it.

Alisson Becker has shared a heartfelt tribute to his team-mate and friend Diogo Jota on the day of his funeral. Jota was laid to rest alongside his brother Andre Silva in Gondomar, Portugal, on Saturday, with many Liverpool team-mates in attendance.

Jota and his brother tragically lost their lives in a car accident in the early hours of Thursday morning. Police said how it was expected a burst tyre had seen their Lamborghini veer off the road and burst into flames, while they were pronounced dead at the scene. Following a wake on Friday evening attended by family and close friends, the funeral service took place at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar catholic church on Saturday morning.

A significant number of Liverpool players were present, including Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, Ryan Gravenberch, Federico Chiesa and manager Arne Slot.

Former Liverpool players Caoimhin Kelleher, Jordan Henderson and James Milner also attended. Alisson, however, was unable to make it to the ceremony as he had returned to his native Brazil during the off-season, reports The Mirror.

Having previously been unable to attend his father’s funeral, who tragically drowned at the age of 57 in 2021, Alisson faced a similarly heartbreaking situation following the shocking news of Jota’s death. Sharing a photo of himself and his family alongside Jota, his wife and their kids on Instagram, Alisson wrote: “Usually, I post things that make sense, but today, nothing makes sense!”

He explained: “Once again, an ocean separates me from ‘saying goodbye’ to someone I love! But I know that I am well represented by my club mates!”

Liverpool players and staff attended Diogo Jota’s funeral (Image: Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

In a message directed to Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, who only got married a couple of weeks ago, Alisson continued: “To you, my friend @rutecfcardoso14, just know that you will never walk alone, we will be with you as soon as possible! In a moment like this, all we can do is bow down before the Sovereignty of God, and receive grace and help in this time! I’ll remember Diogo as a great friend, father and husband!”

Earlier this year, Alisson opened up about the heart-wrenching decision he had to make regarding his father’s funeral due to Covid restrictions and his partner being pregnant. He wrote in The Players’ Tribune: “When I got the call that my father died, I was an ocean away from home.

“I was in Liverpool, and we were in the middle of the 2020-2021 season. His death was sudden. A complete shock. It was even more complicated, because it was right in the middle of the pandemic, and the logistics of getting home were a nightmare.

“My wife was pregnant with our third child, and Covid was exploding again in Brazil. Her doctor said that it was risky for her to travel, so she had to stay in Liverpool with our kids.”

He added: “But it was an impossible situation, because at that time, in order to fly out of the country, you had to be quarantined in a hotel for 14 days when you returned. The thought of coming back from my father’s funeral and being trapped in a hotel room by myself for two weeks was hard, but the worst part was imagining my wife on her own for that long.

“She was going to be in her third trimester, and anything could happen. We had to watch his funeral on FaceTime. My brother held up the phone for the entire service, and I was able to pray and cry with my mother, and even say goodbye to my father at his casket. In that moment, as strange as it sounds, you forget that you’re on a screen.”

Van Dijk and Robertson were seen carrying red floral tributes featuring Jota’s Liverpool shirt number of 20 at the funeral. Fellow footballer Ruben Neves, who played alongside Jota for Wolves and Portugal, also helped in bearing his coffin.