Diogo Jota: the natural finisher who climbed a mountain to achieve his Premier League dream | OneFootball

Portugal forward did not have an easy route to the top but became a ‘world-class’ talent who was clinical in front of goal

Growing up in Portugal, it was Diogo Jota’s dream to play in the Premier League.

That dream felt a long way off at the age of 16 when he was still paying to play football for his local team Gondomar.

Away from the academy of a big club in Portugal, Jota had to work hard to make it to the top and his journey becoming an elite-level player is what made his career so remarkable.

He not only realised his ambition of playing in the Premier League but he won it, lifting the trophy after what proved to be his final game for Liverpool at the end of last season.

Jota with the Premier League trophy at the end of last season

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

“It’s something I could not even dream when I was a kid,” Jota said last month. “I wanted to play in the Premier League but I didn’t even imagine to win it, I just wanted to be there playing.

“It’s a moment I will cherish forever, like I said, because it’s a remarkable achievement.”

Barely a month later, and just weeks after marrying long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he has three children, Jota died in a car crash in Spain on Thursday aged 28.

His brother Andre Silva, who was also a footballer, also died.

The devastating news has brought an outpouring of grief at Liverpool.

After moving to Anfield from Wolves in 2020 in a deal worth over £40million, Jota became a fan favourite by developing into, in Jurgen Klopp’s words, “a world-class striker”.

Capable of scoring with either foot, he could play anywhere across the forward line or as a No10.

Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Jota made his professional debut for first professional club Pacos de Ferreira at the age of 17, but even his journey to that point had come with challenges.

During pre-season before the 2014-15 season, Jota had to miss training for a month after a heart problem was diagnosed.

“That was a difficult moment,” Jota told FourFourTwo in 2021. “It had the sort of impact that made me ask, ‘Will I be able to continue playing?’ But I always keep a positive mentality in those situations, trusting that everything was going to be all right.”

By 2016, Atletico Madrid had come calling.

Jota had scored 12 goals in the Portuguese top-flight during his second season with Pacos de Ferreira and Atletico had singled him out as a player with potential.

The move did not work out for Jota, though, and he never made an appearance for Atletico. Instead, he had two loan spells in as many years.

A turning point in his career came as he linked up with Nuno Espirito Santo.

Nuno was Jota’s boss at Porto for his loan spell during the 2016-17 season. A year later when Nuno was at Wolves, he signed Jota on loan again.

The move became permanent 12 months later and, having guided Wolves to the Championship title with 18 goals, Jota would finally realise his dream of playing in the Premier League.

He hit double figures in all competitions during his next two seasons with Wolves and his form prompted interest from Liverpool.

Jota starred for Wolves before joining Liverpool in 2020

Getty Images

Klopp had long been an admirer of Jota, revealing after the move that he wanted to sign him “because of how intense he was in all situations”.

Some years later, Klopp’s then assistant Pep Lijnders described Jota as a “pressing monster”.

At Liverpool, Jota began to fulfil his potential and the trophies followed.

He won the Carabao Cup, FA Cup and Premier League.

When he signed a new five-year contract at Liverpool in 2022, Jota said: “The hard thing is not to reach the top of the mountain but to stay there. That phrase makes a lot of sense, certainly to me. It is the hardest bit because you always have people who want to reach there for the first time. You can never let them have more will than you.”

For Portugal, Jota played 49 times and helped them win the Nations League last month.

Jota scored 14 goals in 49 appearances for Portugal

AFP via Getty Images

The only frustration was that injuries often stopped Jota from excelling even more. During the 2021-22 season, when he managed to play over 50 games, he scored 21 goals.

Jota was popular among Liverpool fans due to his versatility and ability in front of goal.

He was also a popular figure in the Liverpool dressing room, with Klopp once saying how “he is such a likeable person and so it is so easy to like him”.

Despite making it to the very top, Jota never lost sight of his humble beginnings and where he came from.

“I think my journey shows that the secret is that you should never give up,” he told the Athletic in 2020. “You always have to keep striving for what you want to achieve.”