Al-Hilal's Portugal international defensive midfielder Ruben Neves Portuguese gossip magazine TV Guia through his official Instagram account on Sunday, for falsely claiming he had an affair with former teammate Diogo Jota's widow, Rute Cardoso, following the latter's tragic death in a car accident.

Neves posted angrily: "I've always believed that people are inherently good, but I was also advised not to assume that towards everyone in the world. Now, it turns out that I was wrong, and my intention was not to hurt anyone."

"But the person who published this photo in the weekly magazine does not deserve happiness, just as their choice does not make anyone happy. My wife Débora and I have been together for 11 years and have a happy family. We have never been involved in any scandal."

"We are simply doing our best to help Rute and her family during this difficult time. The choice of this photo itself is unfortunate, as are the people who chose it and those who published it. I respect everyone's work and I respect everyone doing their best, but I do not respect those who do not respect others."

"Again, I am proud of my wife and my family. We are proud of Rute and the strength she has shown; we will support her in whatever she needs, and she knows how to do it. Thank you."

On September 12, TV Guia published a photo of Neves and Ruben Cardoso cuddling and behaving intimately on its cover, captioned "United in Death: How Ruben Neves and Rute Depend on Each Other," hinting at an affair and even kissing, suggesting an inappropriate relationship.

Neves and his wife, Débora Lourenco, began dating in 2014 and became engaged in 2018. They have three children.

In fact, Neves and Diogo Jota grew up together in Porto and were teammates for many years. Their friendship has long transcended ordinary friendships.

They even joined Wolverhampton Wanderers together and played together for many years for the Portugal national team. They are close friends who understand each other well both on and off the pitch.

Two months ago, when Jota tragically passed away in a car accident in Spain, the Saudi Pro League giants' defensive midfielder was one of the first to arrive at the funeral home for the wake and was designated by the family as a pallbearer, demonstrating his profound importance to Jota's family.

The Al-Hilal player's brotherly love for Jota is beyond words. The day after the news of Jota's sudden death, he broke down in tears during a Club World Cup Group Stage match and immediately flew back to Portugal after the match to attend the funeral. He even got a tattoo of the two of them hugging on his leg and chose to wear Jota's number 21 national team jersey, demonstrating the depth of their friendship.

Spreading such disgusting and disrespectful fake news less than six months after the legendary Liverpool striker's death is truly disrespectful to the deceased.

This also makes TV Guia the second media outlet after the British infamously notorious media outlet Daily Mail to be severely criticized for deliberately reporting fake gossip about the Premier League defending champions' player after his unfortunate death.