liverpoolecho.co.uk

Diogo Jota's journey to Liverpool and why he will always be adored at Anfield

Diogo Jota obituary - Portuguese striker died aged 28 after a car accident in Spain

Diogo Jota of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Everton FC at Anfield on April 02, 2025

(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

It was on April 30 where Diogo Jota, fresh from being crowned a Premier League champion, provided one of the lasting images for Liverpool Football Club. Serenaded by the Kop as he danced in front of the famous stand and swung a scarf around his head, fresh from helping the Reds thrash Tottenham Hotspur to clinch their 20th league title, he led renditions of his own, very popular terrace chant.

“He’s a lad from Portugal! Better than Figo don’t you know! Oh, his name is Diogo!”

The 28-year-old was a firm fan-favourite at Anfield, with his catchy chant one of the most popular amongst the Liverpool fanbase. But such affection went beyond just a ditty. Few players were as genuinely popular and likeable, cherished by team-mates, coaches and supporters alike.

As spring turned to summer, it had been a memorable few months for the forward. He followed up his maiden Premier League title by helping Portugal win the Nations League before marrying his childhood sweetheart, Rute Cardoso, on June 22.

With Liverpool set to report back for pre-season training next week, the Portuguese would have been on a high and hungry to follow up such successes in the months ahead. With a World Cup looming next summer too, the stage was set for Jota to embark on another year to remember.

But such dreams will be left cruelly unfulfilled. Travelling across Spain, reportedly to return to the United Kingdom for the start of pre-season, the 28-year-old tragically passed away after being involved in a car accident along with his younger brother, Andre Silva.

Born in Porto on December 4, 1996, Jota developed an early love for football and started his youth career with local side, Gondomar.

He would sign for Pacos de Ferreira's youth set-up in 2013, before being promoted to the first team squad at the start of the 2014/15 season.

Making his Portuguese Primeira Liga debut in February 2015, he scored his first goals in the competition the following May as he became the youngest ever player to score for the club in the top tier in the process.

A new five-year contract, due to take him up to the summer of 2020, swiftly followed. But it was clear the prolific forward would soon outgrow Pacos de Ferreira.

Come March 2016, he had agreed to sign for Atletico Madrid. Yet he would never make an appearance for the La Liga club, instead spending the 2016/17 season on loan with FC Porto before making his first move to England with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2017.

The then 20-year-old enjoyed an impressive campaign on loan at Molineux as he scored an eye-catching 18 goals from 46 games in all competitions to help Wolves win promotion back to the Premier League.

Inevitably, such form saw him snapped up permanently with it announced that a €14m deal had been agreed midway through their Championship-winning season.

Scoring nine goals in his first Premier League season, he shone in the second half of the campaign as he helped Wolves earn a surprise seventh-place finish to qualify for the Europa League.

Jota’s highlight of the campaign came as he scored a hat-trick against local-rivals Leicester City to earn a thrilling 4-3 victory, becoming only the second Portuguese player to achieve such a feat after Cristiano Ronaldo.

But he would also net in victories over Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester United (twice) and Arsenal. It was a sign of things to come from a young forward who would later establish himself as the scorer of the biggest goals following his move to Anfield.

Thriving in Europe the following season, netting hat-tricks against both Besiktas and Espanyol to help Wolves reach the Europa League quarter-finals, Jota finished the campaign with 16 goals in all competitions as the West Midlands outfit qualified for Europe again.

But by this point, the Portuguese was already in the sight of Liverpool. Come September 2020, he would join the Reds in an initial £41m deal - rising to £45m with add-ons.

Jurgen Klopp would later reveal that he had known from the very first moment he saw Jota play that the Portuguese could be a player who would thrive for him.

Jota made an instant impact on his Premier League debut for Liverpool, scoring only eight minutes after coming on as a substitute for the Reds in a 3-1 victory over Arsenal at Anfield. Alas, coming behind closed doors in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic, he would have to wait for a love affair with the Kop to truly begin.

But in the meantime, the Portuguese more than proved himself for the Reds as he did what many thought was impossible and started to break up the previously untouchable attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

Scoring seven goals from his first 10 appearances for the club, he was voted Player of the Month for October by the club’s supporters.

When joining Liverpool, Jota made it clear he was hungry to compete in the Champions League once again. So it was only fitting that one of the highlights of his first campaign at Anfield came in the competition as he scored a hat-trick in an astonishing 5-0 victory away at Atalanta.

But little over a month later he suffered a leg injury in a dead-rubber away at FC Midtjylland that would end up ruling him out for three months. While not as costly as the season-ending injuries that ruled out Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, such a lay-off coincided with the Reds’ Premier League title defence falling apart. But in his absence, his importance became even clearer as a fan-favourite was born.

Returning to action in March 2021, Jota was soon back amongst the goals with vital strikes away in victories over former club Wolves, Arsenal and Manchester United. Against the odds, he helped a heavily-depleted Liverpool qualify for the Champions League and finished his first season with a respectable 13 goals from 30 games.

The 2021/22 campaign was Jota at his best as Klopp’s Liverpool came within a whisker of achieving the impossible and winning an unprecedented quadruple.

Scoring the Reds’ first goal of the season away at Norwich City, the big goals continued in what would end up as a 21-goal campaign.

Jota netted in the memorable 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United, opened the scoring in a 2-0 victory over former club Atletico Madrid, and also got on the scoresheet in memorable thrashings of both Arsenal and Everton.

By now he was a regular tormentor of the Gunners, as he would prove again in 2022 with a brace at the Emirates to send Liverpool to the League Cup final before scoring the opener in a vital 2-0 victory to put the Reds in the driving seat in the title-race.

In between, he’d also win his first trophy with the club courtesy of the League Cup final as Liverpool beat Chelsea on penalties with the Portuguese scoring in a mammoth penalty shootout.

But he had to rush back for the trip to Wembley after suffering an ankle injury last time out away at Inter Milan. In truth, he struggled to maintain his form after the setback.

His last goal of the campaign came away at Man City in mid-April in a 2-2 draw between the two title-rivals as he cancelled out Kevin De Bruyne’s early opener.

But with the Reds going on to miss out on the title by a solitary point to City before losing 1-0 in the Champions League final to Real Madrid, his goals dried up at the wrong time for player and club alike - though he would win at least add a second winner’s medal courtesy of beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final as he came on as a first-half substitute for the injured Mohamed Salah. Again, he would score in a shootout win.

Jota would ultimately have to wait a year to score again for Liverpool as the 2022/23 campaign proved to be a season decimated by injury. Having already missed the start of the season after suffering an injury on international duty, he would then be struck down again as a calf issue suffered in October required surgery and ruled him out of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Returning in February, he would at least finish the campaign strongly as he ended his year-long drought with back-to-back braces against Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, before netting a memorable stoppage-time winner in a 4-3 victory over Spurs.

Jota returned to goalscoring form in the 2023/24 season, in what would prove to be Klopp’s last campaign in charge. He’d finish the campaign with 15 goals, but was once again stopped in his tracks by injury at the business end of the season.

A knee problem suffered against Brentford in February, at a time when he was in prolific form, ruled him out for two months and saw him miss the League Cup final, before a further setback following his return in April ruled him out for the final games of the campaign.

Yet the lasting image from his season was the sight of the forward sprinting over to the sidelines in October 2023 to get hold aloft Luis Diaz's shirt and dedicate his goal against Nottingham Forest to the forward, whose parents had been kidnapped in his native Colombia.

A leader in the Reds camp, it was a powerful image and a strong sign of unity and support. The Liverpool squad will now need to call on such spirit again.

Following Arne Slot’s arrival as head coach, he’d start the season as first-choice in attack and scored the Reds’ first goal under the Dutchman away at Ipswich Town. He’d then mark his 100th start for the club with a winner away at Crystal Palace in early-October, only to be sidelined once again after suffering an upper body impact injury against Chelsea.

Ruled out for two months, he marked his return with a timely late equaliser against Fulham, before netting a vital leveller against Nottingham Forest in January 2025.

Top form eluded him during the second half of the campaign, but he still managed to score a stunning winner in the Anfield Merseyside derby against Everton as Liverpool marched towards the Premier League title. It would be the last of his 65 goals for the club.

During his five years at Anfield, he was repeatedly lauded as Liverpool’s best finisher - even ahead of Mohamed Salah. Alas, it was only injury that prevented him from regularly rivalling the Egyptian in front of goal. So many of those knocks came in the heat of battle too, as the forward went toe-to-toe with the biggest and toughest opponents, even if it, at times, left him a little worse for wear.

It's why Kopites loved him. The hard-working, never say die, fox-in-the-box. Jota the slotter who gave his all for the red shirt while always adorning an infectious smile for all to see. It is no wonder he cemented his place as a firm Anfield favourite with supporters and team-mates alike, culminating with those iconic scenes after winning the Premier League title - a record-equalling 20th league title - in April.

As he posted on social media at the time, "No.20. Meant to be."

He wore the number 20. And he regularly took the Reds to victory.

Liverpool Football Club will never forget one of their favourite ever finishers.

He joined in 2020. He wore number 20. He won number 20. As the ECHO's front page today (July 4) puts it, 'Forever our number 20.'

His name is Diogo.

Jota is survived by his new wife, Rute, and their three young children.

Read full news in source page