Diogo Jota tragically died in a car crash on Thursday, with the footballer and his brother Andre killed following the tragic incident - and Liverpool say they are “devastated” at the “unimaginable loss”
The initial reaction to the devastating news that in a car crash was a mixture of disbelief, shock and truly profound sadness. There are no words for the depth of awfulness and sorrow, only thoughts for his family, whose grief is unimaginable.
And a subsequent reaction is to consider how - the passing of an elite player in the absolute prime of his career and his life - puts a lot of things into perspective. Particularly football.
And rightly so. We loosely talk about players, fans and managers being devastated by a loss on a football pitch and, at times like this, we might re-examine our language. Again, rightly so.
The tragedy of Jota’s passing really does put football - and the extreme emotions that go with it - into perspective. But for those of us who did not know Jota as a person, football defined him.
We cannot remember Jota as a friend, we can only remember him as a footballer. It almost seems worthless talking about his talent on a football field, but it is how most of us will remember him.
For me, the thing that made Jota such a brilliant player is that I could not really put my finger on WHY he was such a brilliant player. There was no single reason. He had the finishing impudence of Robbie Fowler.
Remember the back-heeled goal against in his first season with ? referred to him as the best finisher in the club and he was probably right. He certainly had Salah’s eye for goal.
But he was also extremely accomplished in the air, a master of timing with his head. He could see a pass, he could beat a man. And to go with that finishing impudence, he had an impudent smile. He was a player who clearly loved what he was doing and loved what he was able to do.
He did not get ’s sort of limelight but you got the feeling that he did not want Mohamed Salah’s sort of limelight. And, of course - as would never tire of highlighting - his versatility made him a manager’s dream.
His record of 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool is impressive enough but his ability to play in a variety of attacking positions gave Klopp - and, latterly, - options that were invaluable.
Diogo Jota
Diogo Jota has tragically passed away in a car crash
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Image:
Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
And to go with that engaging, effervescent approach to the game, Jota always came across as a tough, nuggety, determined character. And that much was clear from his pathway, having still been at his local club Gondomar when he was 16.
When - via Pacos de Ferreira, Atletico Madrid and a loan spell at FC Porto - Jota arrived in English football, it was in the Championship with . That he thrived in that environment and in that competition was a testament to his character.
Like all professional footballers, Jota had times when he was out through injury and times when he was not an automatic first-choice player. But he was always uncomplaining. And he always came across as unassuming and uncomplicated.
Going back to perspective, you can never imagine how much his family and friends will miss him. Everyone’s thoughts and prayers are with them. But he loved football - and football will miss Diogo Jota.