Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has described the death of fellow Reds player Diogo Jota as “very difficult to accept”.
Jota, 28, died in a car crash alongside his brother Andre Silva (25).
“I don’t really know the words,” said Salah, who joined Liverpool in the summer of 2017.
“Until yesterday, I never thought of anything that would make me so scared about returning to Liverpool in the afternoon. Teammates come and go, but not like this.”
“It will be very difficult to accept that Diogo will not be there when we go back.
“My thoughts are with his wife, his children and his parents who have lost their children so suddenly. Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten.”
The Guardia Civil told BBC Sport that the pair had died at 00:30 local time on Thursday.
Jota returned to Liverpool for pre-season, travelling by car and boat after doctors advised him not to fly and had minor surgery.
Liverpool’s pre-season return delayed
A number of Liverpool players were due to return from their summer break at the club’s training ground on Friday for an initial round of physicals.
That has been postponed, with players now set to return in stages on Monday.
Liverpool manager Arne Slattery’s side are due to play their first pre-season game against Preston North End on Sunday 13 July.
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Gavmin Kelleher also paid tribute to “one of my closest friends in football”.
“We watch everything, the game, any football we can find – mostly your brother Andre’s game,” Kelleher said.
“A boy from Portugal loved sports like darts, snooker and horse racing, and some of my best memories are laughing at them with you.
“It will hurt for a long time, I will miss you so much, but I feel very lucky to have known you and to have had such a good friend.”
A vigil for Jota and Silva will be held on Friday at the Church of the Resurrection in their hometown of Gondomar.
A funeral will be held at 10:00 on Saturday at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar.
Locals and fans have been paying tribute to Jota outside the football academy in Gondomar, where he played from the age of nine to 17.
The academy is named after him, and a photo shows Jota wearing the colours of the Portugal national team and the yellow of his hometown club as a child.
Also at Liverpool, the former club he left in 2020 People have also paid tribute at Wolves. Join the Reds.
Liverpool set up a book of condolences in the Anfield Road Stand reception area, and an online version of the book has also been made available “for fans around the world”.
