Raul Jimenez pays beautiful Diogo Jota tribute after goal in Gold Cup final

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Mexico international Raul Jimenez paid a heartfelt tribute to his former teammate Diogo Jota after netting a goal against the United States in Sunday evening's Gold Cup Final. The duo were colleagues at Wolverhampton from 2018 to 2020.

Tragically, Jota, aged 28, lost his life on Thursday morning in a car crash while traveling with his brother in northern Spain. He was heading to catch a ferry back to Liverpool, where he was based for football, and was unable to fly due to an offseason operation.

Jimenez clinically dispatched a pass from Marcel Ruiz beyond American keeper Mathew Freese to equalize at 1-1 in the 27th minute. In his celebration, the 34-year-old forward sat down and replicated Jota's signature celebration from the FIFA video game.

He then held aloft a Mexico shirt adorned with Jota's name and the number 20.

Before the match, during the national anthems, Jimenez donned a Mexico jersey emblazoned with "Diogo J" instead of his own name. Together, the pair made 81 appearances for Wolves, scoring 17 goals between them, second only to Jota's partnership with Mohamed Salah at Liverpool.

During their time together, Wolves became the darlings of the Premier League. Jota was instrumental in securing the team's promotion in the 2017/18 season, which coincided with Jimenez's arrival in the summer.

Thanks to contributions like Jota's nine goals and Jimenez's 13, Wolves secured a seventh-place finish in the Premier League in the 2018/19 season, bringing European Football back to the club for the first time since 1980.

The following year, the English side finished seventh once more and progressed to the Europa League semi-final, succumbing only to eventual winners (and perennial Europa League powerhouses) Sevilla by a single goal.

Jota was transferred to Liverpool that summer for a reported £41 million ($56 million) fee and instantly flourished, establishing himself as a regular starter for a team that challenged for silverware every campaign.

Jiménez's gesture is merely one of many tributes from across the football world. Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé both paid homage to Jota through their goal celebrations during Saturday's Club World Cup fixtures. Rúben Neves, who played alongside both Jiménez and Jota at Wolves, shared a touching message dedicated to his departed teammate on Instagram.

"Wherever you are, I know you're going to read this, we've never been one for this sort of thing and maybe now I'll regret it a little, but you know what you mean to me just as much as I know what I am to you," Neves wrote.

"As of today, you'll be on the pitch with me, and we'll follow our path together, on the stage where we met."

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