Shekara guda bayan mutuwar Diogo Jota, Portugal suna ɗauke da tunawarsa zuwa wasan da ya fi muhimmanci a gasar Kofin Duniya da Croatia a Toronto ranar Alhamis — wasan da zai iya tabbatar musu da wuri a zagaye na 16.

Jota, wanda ke da shekara 28, ya rasu a ranar 3 ga watan Yuli 2025 a hatsarin mota a Sifen, kwana 11 kawai bayan auren sa da abokiyar rayuwarsa Rute Cardoso. Dan uwansa Andre Silva ma ya rasa ransa a hatsarin daya. Dan wasan Liverpool yana tafiya da mota da jirgin ruwa zuwa Ingila don horon kafin kakar wasa, bayan likitoci suka gaya masa kada ya hau jirgin sama sakamakon tiyata karama. Motar su, Lamborghini, ta hau kan hanya saboda fashewar tayar yayin da take wucewa wata mota.

Bakin ciki da ya zarce filin wasa

Kocin Roberto Martinez ya sanya wa Jota matsayin memba na girmamawa a cikin tawagar sa lokacin da ya sanar da zaɓinsa a watan Mayu. "Diogo shine ranarmu da haske namu," Martinez ya ce. "Muna son lashe Kofin Duniya a gare shi."

Ranar tunawa da mutuwarsa ta zo daidai da ranar kafin wasan Croatia, wanda Martinez ya kira "wasan Diogo Jota." Ya ƙara da cewa: "Kowane rana yana da wahala. Lokacin da muke horo, koyaushe akwai lokutan da Diogo ke dawo da tunaninmu."

Kafin kowane wasa, hoto mai fari da baki na Jota yana murnar kwallon kafa na Portugal an nuna shi a manyan allo yayin da an rera waƙar ƙasa. 'Yan wasa da suka haɗa da kyaftin Cristiano Ronaldo suna sanya ɗamara na launi kore da jan — kyauta daga Firaminista Luis Montenegro — waɗanda ke ɗauke da sunayen dukkan membobin tawagar tare da sunan Jota.

Neves yana ɗauke da lamba 21

Dan wasan tsakiya Ruben Neves, ɗaya daga cikin abokansa na kud da kud da tsohon abokin wasansa a Porto, Wolverhampton, da Portugal, yana sanya rigar lamba 21 ta tawagar ƙasa — lamba ta Jota — a wannan gasar Kofin Duniya.

"Ina ci gaba da magana da shi," Neves ya shaida wa shirin talabijin na Fotigal Alta Definicao. "Muna da ƙungiyar WhatsApp tare da Rute da Diogo, tana nan har yanzu, kuma muna ci gaba da magana a can. Duk lokacin da wani abu na musamman ya faru, ina adana tattaunawar a WhatsApp ɗina don in ci gaba da aika masa saƙonni."

Neves ya taimaka ɗauke da gawar Jota a jana'izarsa a Gondomar — a iyakar Porto — a ranar 5 ga watan Yuli 2025, sa'o'i kaɗan kawai bayan gasa da Al Hilal a gasar Kofin Duniya na Kulob a Amurka. Tun daga lokacin, yana da zanen tattoo a ƙafar hagu mai nuna shi yana runguma da Jota, wanda ke sanya rigar Portugal lamba 21.

"Ni da dukkan tawagar ƙasa za mu yi duk abin da za mu iya don riƙe Diogo a nan tare da mu, a cikin tawagar mu," Neves ya ƙara da cewa.

Alama da ta zarce iyakoki

Jota ya zura kwallaye 14 a cikin wasanni 49 don Portugal kuma ya ɗauki hanya ta musamman zuwa saman ƙungiyar — yana tafiya daga ƙungiyar ƙauyen sa Gondomar ta Pacos de Ferreira, Porto, Wolverhampton, sa'an nan Liverpool ba tare da ya taɓa shiga ilimi na manyan kulob uku ba — Benfica, Sporting, ko Porto.

Vitinha, wanda ya fito a wasan farko na ƙungiyar Portugal da DR Congo a Houston a ranar 17 ga watan Yuni, ya bayyana abin da yake nufi da ɗamara: "Tana da dukkan taƙaitaccen abinda ake bukata don mu iya shiga filin wasa da shi, tare da sunayen 'yan wasa duka ban da sunan Diogo Jota na musamman."

Iyayen Jota, Joaquim da Isabel, suna Houston a lokacin wasan kuma an gan su suna share hawaye a wurin girmamawa a filin wasa. Shugaban FIFA Gianni Infantino, wanda ya haɗu da ma'auratan, ya rubuta a shafukan sada zumunta: "Yayin da muke murnar waɗannan lokutan haɗin kai, muna ci gaba da riƙe Diogo da Andre a cikin tunaninmu."

A unguwar Little Portugal a Toronto, Miguel de Silva, mai mallakar mashaya na wasanni na Amigos da Dundas, ya bayyana abin da 'yan kallo da yawa na Fotigal ke ji: "Ina tsammanin abin da zai kawo wa 'yan wasan Fotigal zai zama wani abu na musamman. Wata dalilin karin don su lashe wasan."

Hanyar zuwa zagaye na 16

Portugal ta samu wahala wajen ci a wannan gasar, inda ta ci nasara a wasan ɗaya kawai daga cikin wasanni uku na rukuni. Koyaya, nasara akan Croatia a ranar Alhamis zata bude hanyar kai su wasan zagaye na 16 da Spain ko Austria.

"Mafarkin Diogo yana nan tare da mu kuma shi ne ke kafa ma'aunai, shi ne ke haskaka hanya ga wannan ƙungiya," Martinez ya ce. "Diogo zai kasance tare da mu koyaushe."

Liverpool sun bayyana shirin gina tunawa na dindindin a Anfield don girmama Jota, yayin da tarayyar ƙwallon ƙafa ta Fotigal ta kafa tunawa na tagulla a cibiyar horo ɗin su kusa da Lisbon.