Neves pays tribute to Jota by wearing his Portugal shirt

Al-Hilal midfielder Ruben Neves is set to wear the number 21 jersey for Portugal, a jersey worn by his late friend Diogo Jota. The player also revealed a tattoo on his left leg in memory of the former Liverpool striker, who died last July. "I and the rest of the national team players will do everything we can to keep Diogo with us, in the team," Neves said on the sidelines of Portugal's training session ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Armenia and Hungary. These are Portugal's first matches since the deaths of Jota and his brother André Silva in a car accident on July 3. Neves, who plays for Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, was very close to Jota, having played together at Wolverhampton Wanderers and the Portuguese national team. He spoke on behalf of his teammates at the memorial service for his former teammate, which was also attended by national team captain Cristiano Ronaldo, Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and newly appointed Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. The Portuguese Football Federation posted a video on its official Instagram account of Neves with a tattoo of him hugging Jota, who wore the number 21 shirt. The ceremony also served as a tribute to former Portugal international Jorge Costa, who died last month of a heart attack. Pedro Proesena, president of the Portuguese Football Federation, described Jota and Costa as men who "loved football, their country, the national team, and defended the colors of the flag with courage and dedication." Jota and Costa were posthumously honored with the rank of Commander of the Order of Merit, and their families received medals. The Portuguese Federation announced that the squad will consist of 23+1 players in tribute to Jota.