BREAKING: Kylian Mbappé’s Tribute to Diogo Jota Sends Shockwaves Through Football World — One Sentence Left Fans in Tears 🕊️⚽
The PSG superstar’s emotional words capture the grief of an entire generation — and hint at a bond deeper than fans ever knew.
—————————-
Kylian Mbappe paid tribute to Diogo Jota by flashing a No. 20 during Real Madrid’s Club World Cup quarterfinal matchup against Dortmund
Kylian Mbappe pays tribute to Diogo Jota (Image: DAZN)
Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe has echoed sentiments across the football community with a tribute to the late Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash on Thursday at 28 years old.
In a quarterfinal Club World Cup match against Borussia Dortmund, the French superstar delivered a game-winning goal in extra time to lift Madrid 3-2 over its German opposition at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Mbappe’s twisting, acrobatic right-footed shot from the left side of the six-yard box, rifled into the bottom left corner following a cross from Turkish star Arda Guler.
Madrid booked their place in the semifinals against the striker’s former club, PSG, and Mbappe reminded the world why he remains one of football’s most clutch players. Fluminense will face Chelsea on the other side of the bracket following the Blues’ 2-1 quarter-final win over Palmeiras, which also featured a Jota tribute from Pedro Neto.
Mbappe ran to the sideline and raised both hands to the sky, flashing a No. 20 with his fingers before placing his palms together in a prayer motion. With his head bowed for a moment, Mbappe then turned to celebrate with teammates Fran Garcia and Raul Asencio.
The tribute was to former Liverpool, Wolves, and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who tragically lost his life in a fatal car crash in Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva just days before the match.
On the same day, PSG’s Ousmane Dembele also paid tribute to Jota after scoring in a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich by copying the Portuguese star’s goal-scoring celebration following his goal, which also came in extra time.
Mbappe and Jota have only shared the field a few times in their careers. Jota was a substitute during the 2024 Euros, where France defeated Portugal 5-3 on penalties in a quarterfinal match. Jota also came on for Portugal during a 1-0 loss to France in a 2020 Nations League game.
The outpouring of support for Jota and Silva has stretched far beyond the Club World Cup. Their deaths have sparked tribute messages from clubs and celebrities around the world, including Liverpool, the Portuguese Football Federation, Tottenham Hotspur, LeBron James, Mohamed Saleh, and more.
The band Oasis paid tribute to Jota during their stadium tour and dedicated their 1995 track, ‘Walkaway,’ to the Portuguese star.
Liverpool was among the first to pay tribute to their player with a post that read, “Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.”
“We will continue to provide them with our full support.” Teammates Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, and others paid tribute to Jota with social media posts. Ex-Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson joined fans at Anfield to lay flowers in memory of Jota and Silva.
