James Milner has revealed that he had a catch-up with Diogo Jota the night before his tragic passing.
The new season has just started, and Liverpool’s opening match had one thing in common — every goalscorer paid tribute to Jota. The Reds secured a thrilling 4-2 win over Bournemouth, but the celebrations were emotional as the memories of the Portuguese forward remain fresh. The Merseyside club has also decided to retire his iconic No. 20 shirt.
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What James Milner revealed about his final conversation with Jota
The former Liverpool star said: “Nothing major, just checking in and asking each other how things were going… Someone asked, ‘Is that true?’ and I didn’t know at that point. I messaged someone at Liverpool to try to find out and… just horrific. Not many tougher days than that.”
He continued: “I loved the guy, absolutely loved him. Loved him as a player, loved him even more as a team-mate and a friend, absolutely loved him. Carlos (Baleba) wanted to change his number, so the No. 20 became available and it felt like the right thing for me to do. Every day when I put my kit on, I’ll think of him.”
Recalling their time together at Anfield, Milner said: “We were only together at Liverpool for three seasons and you might not have thought we had much in common — different nationalities, very different ages — but we hit it off immediately. Maybe it was because we were both so stubborn. Honestly, people say I’m stubborn, but Jots could give me a run for my money.”
He finished by adding: “He was an unbelievable guy, one of my favourite team-mates I’ve had in all my time playing. He was always up for a laugh, always winding people up. He was one of those you could put in any corner of the dressing room, next to any other player, and he would click with them straight away.”
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