Watch: Mohammed Siraj gets emotional, namedrops Cristiano Ronaldo while explaining tribute to Diogo Jota
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Mohammed Siraj, the Indian pacer, might not have had the best of outings at Lord's and seemed frustrated on several occasions, sometimes due to the condition of the ball and sometimes with the poor fielding efforts from his side.
However, despite not having a very good day, Mohammed Siraj didn't let up on his pre-determined plan to honour the former Liverpool star with a heartfelt gesture.
After picking up wickets for India towards the end phase of the English innings, Siraj stood tall and made a gesture of twenty with his fingers and then pointed towards the sky, dedicating his glory to Diogo Jota, the former Portuguese footballer who recently died in a treacherous car accident.
Mohammed Siraj's reasons behind the sudden Diogo Jota honour
In a post-match exclusive interview with BCCI, Mohammed Siraj has revealed the reason behind his celebration, as he named former footballer Diogo Jota, whom he attempted to honour with the gesture of '20,' his official jersey number.
A heartfelt gesture!
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 12, 2025
Mohammed Siraj pays his tribute to the late Diogo Jota. pic.twitter.com/B59kmWG3TO
Mohammed Siraj expressed that he was deeply saddened by the sudden death of the footballer, as he himself is a fan of the Portugal National Football side, and also mentioned interest over CR7, tagging him as a fan of the legendary footballer.
He said he wanted to do this from the previous Test only; however, he finally did it this time after picking wickets for India. This remains a tribute to his contributions to the world of sports, from one sportsman to another fellow sportsman.
"When we were coming for the last match (Edgbaston Test), we got to know that Diago Jota died in an accident. I am a Portugal fan because CR7 plays for them. I felt emotional, and I wanted to pay him a tribute in the last match itself," Mohammed Siraj said while speaking to the BCCI.
“Life is very unpredictable. Who are we fighting for? What are we even working for? We don’t know about tomorrow; there is no guarantee of life. I was shocked to know about his death, that too in a car accident," Siraj said.
“So when I got the wicket today, I decided to pay tribute to Jota and his jersey No. 20. I spoke to Kuldeep before the game and told him that I want to pay a tribute to him," Siraj added.
Liverpool retire jersey number 20 for Diogo Jota
The English Premier League club Liverpool has announced the decision to retire the jersey number 20 in honour of the memory of Diogo Jota. They retired the jersey from the LFC Women and Academy levels as well.
"It was the number he wore with pride and distinction, leading us to countless victories in the process – and Diogo Jota will forever be Liverpool Football Club’s number 20," the Premier League champions said in a statement.
"The move is recognition of not only the immeasurable contribution our lad from Portugal made to the Reds’ on-pitch successes over the last five years, but also the profound personal impact he had on his teammates, colleagues and supporters and the everlasting connections he built with them," it added.
At the peak of his career, the Winner of the Nations League with Portugal passed away
Diogo Jota will remain a memorable figure in Portuguese football; the 28-year-old has earned 49 caps for the national side and scored 14 goals. He was part of their squad that lifted the UEFA Nations League title in 2019 and 2025.
Jota also had several records for Liverpool, as he scored the fastest-ever goal by a substitute in a Premier League game for them, when he took just 21 seconds off the bench to net his first goal.
Diogo Jota was the scorer of Liverpool's 10000th club goal, a historic number. He was Liverpool's most efficient finisher with a conversion rate of 19.3% and was one of Liverpool's most expensive signings in 2020, when he was picked for €44.7 million.
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