Diogo Jota at the forefront of Pedro Neto’s thoughts after Chelsea reach Club World Cup final | OneFootball

Pedro Neto took a moment to remember Diogo Jota and his family after Chelsea booked their place in the Club World Cup final on Tuesday night.

While Liverpool fans and the Merseyside public continue to mourn the loss of the beloved 28-year-old and his brother Andre Silva, who both died in a car crash in northern Spain six days ago, the relentless football calendar continues to churn on.

The Blues defeated Brazilian outfit Fluminense 2-0 in the first semi-final of the FIFA tournament in the United States, with Enzo Maresca’s team awaiting either Paris Saint-Germain or Real Madrid in the decider on Sunday.

Neto hoping to win Club World Cup for Diogo Jota and Andre Silva

Neto spoke to reporters after Chelsea’s latest victory and admitted that he’s found it very hard to concentrate on football following the tragic death of his teammate and friend from the Portuguese national team.

The 25-year-old said (via beIN SPORTS): “It’s been really difficult in the last few days and I just want to leave a message that this final is for him and his brother.

“It’s a really tough time for me. It’s difficult to speak about it but I hope I can do it for him. I want to dedicate this final to him and his family and show my support in these difficult times for them.”

(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Courageous Neto playing on at a time of personal grief

The deaths of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva are being felt deeply not just by their family and closest friends, but also the footballers who got to know them as teammates and formed friendships off the pitch.

Liverpool’s players faced the emotionally difficult task of returning to the AXA Training Centre yesterday, and our thoughts are also with the likes of Neto who would’ve known our number 20 personally and is still managing to focus on the job at hand of winning football matches for his club.

It’s been to the Chelsea winger’s immense credit that he’s been able to keep playing at an extremely sad time for him, and it’d seem a fitting tribute to Jota if the 25-year-old were to inspire the Blues to victory in the Club World Cup final on Sunday.

Similarly, when the time feels right for the Reds to focus primarily on football again, there may well be an added motivation among Arne Slot’s squad to lift major silverware and honour their beloved teammate, whose deep-rooted will to win has been mentioned in many eulogies about him in the past few days.