Raul Jimenez wears Diogo Jota shirt before copying star's goal celebration in emotional tribute to former team-mate
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Raul Jimenez wore a shirt with Diogo Jota's name and number on the back as he came out for the Gold Cup final with Mexico
Credit: Reddit
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Jimenez and Jota were teammates at Wolves for two years
Credit: Reuters
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Jota and his brother Andre Silva tragically died in a car accident last week
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Both Jota and Silva were killed in a car accident in Spain
Tributes for the pair have poured in over the days that followed the tragedy and Jota's former teammate Jimenez is the latest to give a touching nod to the Liverpool star.
Jimenez, who played with Jota for two years at Wolves, wore a shirt with his name and number on the back as he walked out onto the pitch for
The 34-year-old
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And in the moment of jubilation Jimenez took another chance to honour his friend by copying Jota's 'Fifa' celebration.
Jimenez mimicked playing video games in the same way that Jota previously did after scoring a 94th minute winner in a 4-3 victory over Tottenham in 2023.
Jimenez also took the shirt he was wearing during the walkout and national anthems with Jota's name and laid it out on the floor during the celebration.
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Jimenez replicated Jota's iconic celebration when he scored the equaliser for Mexico
Credit: Reuters
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Jota's 'Fifa' celebration was born out of a last minute winner against Tottenham in 2023
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Jota was an avid video game fan and known to be one of the best Fifa players in professional football, previously topping PlayStation's FIFA Ultimate Team Champions leaderboard as world No1 in 2021.
Jimenez and his Mexico team-mates went on to add a second goal through
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Jimenez had spoken before the game about the heartbreaking loss of Jota, recalling the memories he will cherish with the Premier League champion.
He said: "He was a great teammate. We shared many beautiful moments being important parts of what Wolves achieved in those times.
"It's very tough to learn this type of news about someone so close to you and who was a great friend."
While he also reacted to the news on social media last week with a message that read: "It's hard to get this kind of news and I still can't believe it. An excellent colleague, friend and above all a great father.
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"Thank you for everything friend, we will always remember you. A hug to heaven R.I.P."
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Jimenez and Mexico won the Gold Cup
Credit: AFP
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