💔 EXTREMELY EMOTIONAL: Christophe Soumillon shakes up Diogo Jota’s funeral with a silent but unforgettable gesture
By Camille Laurent | Paris – July 2025

It’s not a moment the sporting world will soon forget. As the funeral of Diogo Jota, the Portuguese striker who tragically died in a car crash last week, unfolded amid a heavy and heartbreaking atmosphere, a familiar figure quietly slipped into the Porto church. It was neither a footballer nor a FIFA official, but Christophe Soumillon , one of France’s most successful jockeys.

Without a flash, without a microphone, Soumillon arrived alone, silently, his gaze lowered . He said no words, did not speak to the press, and did not stay more than an hour. But what he left behind shook the hearts of all the loved ones present.

According to witnesses on the scene, the jockey placed a small dark wooden box , soberly tied with a black ribbon, next to the portrait of Diogo Jota. The family, intrigued by this unexpected gesture, opened the box a few moments later. Inside: an old leather bracelet that belonged to Soumillon during his very first major victory , accompanied by a handwritten letter of only a few lines.

The exact contents of the letter have not been fully revealed, but one sentence, shared by a family member with Portuguese media, deeply moved internet users:

“You don’t measure a career by goals or titles, but by the hearts you’ve touched. Yours has touched millions.”

Jota’s loved ones were seen in tears, clutching the box, visibly overcome with emotion. Even the player’s usually reserved father is said to have whispered: “He’s never ridden a horse, but today a jockey made him fly higher than ever.”

An unexpected link

The question quickly arose: what was the relationship between a Belgian jockey and a Portuguese footballer? The answer lies in an old viral video from 2022, in which Jota congratulated Soumillon after a historic victory at Longchamp. The two then exchanged a few private messages on Instagram, bonding over their shared passion for competition and humility.

“It was an exchange of athletes, not egos,” comments a close friend of Soumillon. “They may never have met physically, but the mutual respect was real.”

Reactions and tributes

Since this gesture, social media has been in a frenzy. The hashtag #SoumillonPourJota quickly trended on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by thousands of messages saluting “the silent nobility of a champion .” Athletes from all disciplines, from Rafael Nadal to Antoine Griezmann, shared the photo of the box with a simple word: Respect.

The world of sport, often criticized for its individualism and superficiality, has just reminded us that it can also be profoundly human, sincere, and terribly moving .

Soumillon, without a word, offered one of the most powerful tributes of recent years. And he did so on the cusp of silence and grandeur.