Ronaldo in tears, pays tribute to Diogo Jota after Portugal’s win over Croatia

3 min readUpdated: Jul 3, 2026 09:00 AM IST

Cristiano Ronaldo and whole Portugal team paid tribute to Diogo Jota after win over Croatia. (AP)

After leading Portugal to the Round of 16 with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Croatia in a gripping FIFA World Cup 2026 encounter, an emotional Cristiano Ronaldo was seen in tears, wearing Diogo Jota’s No. 21 jersey as a tribute to his former teammate.

Jota lost his life in a road accident in Spain last year at the age of 28, shortly after playing a key role in Portugal’s second UEFA Nations League triumph and helping the team secure their place at the World Cup.

Portugal edged past Croatia in Toronto on Friday in a match that swung both ways. After falling behind 1-0, goals from Ronaldo and Gonçalo Ramos powered the team to the next round, where they will face Spain in another heavyweight clash.

An emotional Ronaldo pointed to the sky while wearing Jota’s jersey after the final whistle, as emotions ran high.

“We knew it before the game, it was a so special moment. We speak today, our group, about the coincidence of life, it’s unbelievable. I was amazed because the situation of today it means a lot to us, not only because we won the game but also the way,” Ronaldo told Fox.

July 4, 2027, will mark exactly one year since Jota and his brother André Silva died in a car accident in western Spain. Jota and his brother Silva, who played for Penafiel in the Portuguese second division, were believed to have been driving to a ferry in Spain to travel to Britain when their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight. They were buried in their hometown of Gondomar in northern Portugal.

“We know he is present with us and it only made sense to win today to honor him in the best way,” added Ronaldo to Portugal’s Sport TV.

EMOCIONANTE

Cristiano Ronaldo com a camisa 21 em homenagem a Diogo Jota

Amanhã fará exatamente 1 ano que Jota morreu

Cristiano visivelmente abalado pic.twitter.com/G5TBYc7rLk

— ABSOLUTE CR7 (@AbsoluteGOATBR) July 3, 2026

In the match, after the 2018 finalists took the lead through Ivan Perišić’s strike in the 52nd minute, Ronaldo finally broke his jinx, scoring his first-ever World Cup knockout goal to level the scores. Portugal coach Roberto Martínez then made four substitutions, including replacements for midfield stars Bruno Fernandes and Vitinha.

Story continues below this ad

AS IT HAPPENED: Portugal vs Croatia FIFA World Cup 2026 Highlights

Ronaldo was substituted in the 81st minute with the game still deadlocked. With the onus on finding a breakthrough, super-sub Ramos delivered yet again in stoppage time, powering in a header from Rafael Leão’s cross to push Portugal ahead.

Ronaldo’s goal was his third of the tournament, having scored a brace against Uzbekistan in the group stage. This was also the first time the five-time Ballon d’Or winner had been substituted in the tournament.

The victory also marked the first time since 1966 that Portugal had come from 1-0 down to win a World Cup knockout game.