Rúben Neves did not see it coming.
In the middle of the match between Al-Hilal and Al-Taawoun, a section of the Saudi crowd began chanting the surname of Diogo Jota, the Portuguese forward who died on July 3, 2025, in an accident alongside his brother André Silva. They did it to taunt Neves, who was a close friend of Jota and a teammate on the Portugal national team.
Neves did not stay silent. He raised his arms, pointed toward the sky, and told the fans that God was watching them. Al-Hilal ended up thrashing Al-Taawoun 6-0 at the Al Taawoun Arena, but what stuck was what the midfielder said afterward in the mixed zone: “I just hope those fans don’t go pray after what they’ve done… God has seen them”.
Jota had gotten married just ten days before passing away. He left behind three children. When Neves heard the news, he left his club’s training camp and flew immediately to Porto.