'jota Was With Me' - Alexander-arnold After Real Madrid Win

Real Madrid's Trent Alexander-Arnold said erstwhile Liverpool team-mate Diogo Jota "was location pinch maine today" aft helping nan Spanish squad scope nan semi-finals of nan Club World Cup.

Alexander-Arnold and Jota spent 5 years together astatine Liverpool earlier nan England full-back signed for Real successful June.

Jota, aged 28, died successful a car crash connected Thursday on pinch his relative Andre Silva, who was 25. Their associated ceremonial was held connected Saturday successful Portugal.

Alexander-Arnold has been featuring for Real Madrid astatine nan Club World Cup successful nan United States and assisted Fran Garcia's extremity successful their 3-2 triumph against Borussia Dortmund successful nan quarter-final successful New Jersey.

He said nan news of Jota's decease had been "extremely difficult" to return in.

"I had to effort and execute for nan squad and thief them triumph nan game, nary matter really difficult it was," Alexander-Arnold told DAZN aft Saturday's game.

"As difficult arsenic it was to do it, I had to push myself to attraction connected what my occupation and domiciled was. I tried to do it arsenic champion arsenic I could, but it was difficult and I americium not going to dishonesty astir that.

"[Jota] was 1 of my adjacent friends. And I americium judge that's what he would person wanted maine to do. And I'm judge we would person had a laughter and joke astir nan assistance arsenic well. He was location pinch maine today, I americium sure."

Alexander-Arnold said nan Portuguese guardant was "someone who lit up nan room erstwhile he was successful it".

"I shared nan dressing room pinch him for 5 years - astonishing memories connected and disconnected nan pitch," Alexander-Arnold said.

"It goes without saying he will ne'er beryllium forgotten by anyone. He will unrecorded agelong successful each our memories for nan astonishing man and nan subordinate he was."

Alexander-Arnold added that it has been "very affectional and heart-warming to spot nan footballing world travel together to show their emotion and support for [Jota], his relative and their family".

"I've been astir him, his brother, his family, his astonishing wife, his astonishing parents and his astonishing children. It's truly, genuinely heart-breaking to aftermath up to news for illustration that," he said.

"It's thing you ne'er expect."

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe was among nan players who paid tribute to Jota connected Saturday, pinch nan France guardant indicating number 20 aft scoring an acrobatic goal, successful nickname of Jota's Liverpool garment number.

Ousmane Dembele besides paid a tribute to nan Portuguese by copying his Fifa gaming ceremony aft sealing a 2-0 win for Paris St-Germain against Bayern Munich successful different another quarter-final astatine nan Club World Cup.