Caoimhin Kelleher and Diogo Jota were close friends at Liverpool (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Diogo Jota's tragic death earlier this year sparked an outpouring of grief from the football world. The Liverpool family united as one at a monumentally difficult time following the Portuguese forward's passing, along with his brother, Andre Silva, in a car crash in July in northern Spain.

Tributes to Jota , who would have been 29 today, were paid far and wide. One of the most touching came from former Liverpool star Caoimhin Kelleher, who wrote a heartfelt message about his much-loved team-mate, admitting that he had become "one of my closest friends" in football.

Kelleher and Jota spent five seasons together at Liverpool, winning the Premier League , FA Cup

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