Portugal's Angel, England's Hope

The memory of their teammate, who died in an accident, accompanies Portugal’s soccer players at every step during this World Cup—on the training field, at the luxurious team hotel in Florida, and even during their first match this Wednesday against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

That’s because every World Cup player is wearing a wristband during the tournament that lists the names of all the players—including Diogo Jota’s. July 3, the day of Portugal’s potential first knockout match, marks the first anniversary of their striker’s accidental death. The wristbands, in the national colors of green and red, are a gift from Prime Minister Luís Montenegro.

“Diogo is our light,” national team coach Roberto Martinez told the sports magazine *The Athletic* before departing for the U.S. “He wanted to win the World Cup. And that has now, in a sense, become an obligation and an example for us. Because Diogo was the very embodiment of believing in everything that could be possible. We must let him inspire us until the very end. He is one of us!”

Ruben Neves carried Jota’s coffin

Diogo Jota was only 28 years old when he died in a car accident a year ago, along with his younger brother. With the exception of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the entire national team attended his funeral. Midfielder Ruben Neves carried Jota’s coffin.

Neves was particularly close to the Liverpool FC forward. They shared a room on the national team. They sat next to each other on the bus. They even moved to England together in 2017. In memory of his late friend, Neves took over his jersey number 21.

“We’ve talked about this so many times and always say the same thing,” the 29-year-old said ahead of this World Cup: “Diogo will give us extra strength in decisive moments.”

History is against England

For the past 60 years, English fans have needed a different kind of strength. They’ve always dreamed of a second World Cup title after 1966. They’ve always been disappointed. Now the long wait is set to come to an end—under Thomas Tuchel, of all people. Precisely because no country has ever won the title with a foreign coach.

But nothing less than a second star above the Three Lions’ crest will do. Anything less than the trophy would be seen as a failure on the island.

Tuchel already got a taste of the pitfalls of the ever-sensitive English environment during the qualifiers. With eight wins and a 22-0 goal difference, the 52-year-old and his team finished the group stage with a perfect record. But that didn’t stop the media, experts, and former pros from constantly criticizing Gareth Southgate’s successor—and offering him advice.

The Decision to Leave Out Palmer and Foden

The criticism became even more pronounced after Tuchel announced his roster. His decision to leave out big names like Phil Foden and Cole Palmer in favor of team chemistry sparked a storm of outrage. Despite these notable absences, Tuchel has a top-class team at his disposal. Up front, captain and record goal-scorer Harry Kane of Bayern Munich is untouchable, while Arsenal’s Declan Rice sets the pace in central midfield.

Facing World Cup bronze medalist Croatia right off the bat, Tuchel’s team faces a true litmus test on its path to a second World Cup title. On July 19, the final of the XXL World Cup will take place in East Rutherford, not far from New York. For English fans, the 21,904-day wait will finally come to an end.