LISBON — Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves will wear the No. 21 jersey of his late friend, Diogo Jota, during games for the national team and has revealed a tattoo on his left calf in honour of the former Liverpool striker, who died in July.

“I and the entire national team will do everything we can to keep Diogo here with us, on our team,” Neves said late Tuesday at a ceremony at Portugal’s training base held ahead of the team’s World Cup qualifiers against Armenia and Hungary.

They are Portugal’s first matches since the death of Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, in a car accident on July 3.

Neves, who plays for Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia, was very close to Jota — they played together at English club Wolverhampton and Portugal — and spoke on behalf of the Portugal squad about his former te

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