Diogo Jota – The wonderful footballer who created magic Liverpool moments and was loved by teammates

In Diogo Jota’s first interview upon signing for Liverpool, there was a phrase he was keen to emphasise.

“I think I am a team player,” Jota said.

“I play up front and my job is to find a way to score goals and to provide assists and that’s what they (Liverpool fans) can expect from me – that I will always do my best.

“I will always try to help the team in the best way possible.”

Following the 28-year-old’s tragic death alongside his brother in a traffic accident, it is abundantly clear Jota was more than just a ‘team player’ as tributes poured in to commemorate the forward.

Speaking on talkSPORT, former Liverpool star Danny Murphy gave a glowing tribute to Jota’s incredible character on and off the pitch.

The nine-time England international pointed out how Jota’s exemplary attitude was no more evident than how he stared down every injury setback he faced during his stint at Liverpool, only to come back stronger each time.

“I’ve never had the experience as a player losing a fellow player, so I can’t even anticipate what some of those players are going through,” Murphy said.

“But he will be remembered so fondly for the goals, for the creativity, for the humility.

“He was a great lad. I never met him, but I’ve got friends who work on the staff at Liverpool who speak very well of him.

“I suppose the best judge of a man really is when they have setbacks, you know, he’s had a couple of really bad injuries. He sometimes isn’t in the first 11.

“And what does he do? He comes on, he works tirelessly, he comes up with important goals, he plays for the team, he plays in any position he’s asked.

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“When you see that attitude of a player, it tells you a lot about the man, I think.”

As Murphy noted, Jota’s goals tended to be of great importance.

Whether they were personal milestones or late strikes that sealed a vital result, the Portuguese talent had a sixth sense of scoring when the occasion warranted it.

In his home debut, albeit in front of no fans due to COVID restrictions, Jota scored in a 3-1 win over Arsenal in September 2020.

It was the start of a dazzling five-year spell in which the Portuguese forward transformed himself into a magnet of adoration from the Liverpool faithful.

Just two months after he opened his Anfield account, Jota proved he could handle himself just as capably on the road.

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The scoreboard read 5-0 to Liverpool as they thrashed Atalanta in their Champions League group fixture in November 2020 and three of those goals came courtesy of the Gondomar talent.

Jota stole the show in a cup competition once more in the 2021/22 season, as his double lifted Liverpool to a 2-0 aggregate win over Arsenal in the two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final.

Although he didn’t score in the final against Chelsea, he buried his effort from the spot in the penalty shootout as the Reds went on to win their first Carabao Cup in a decade.

It wasn’t just his teammates and fans who Jota gave lasting memories too, either.

When Liverpool led Tottenham 3-0 in April 2023, only for the north London side to pull off a remarkable fight back and level the contest, Jota stepped up in second-half stoppage time to score the winner.

Jota’s goal sent then-Reds boss Jurgen Klopp into dreamland, so much so that the enigmatic German famously sustained a hamstring injury amid the jubilation.

With a propensity for goals befitting a grand occasion, it was only right the last of Jota’s 65 goals for Liverpool was the winner in a Merseyside derby.

Jota’s strike last April proved to be the only goal in Liverpool’s victory over Everton at Anfield as Arne Slot’s side took a giant stride towards winning the Premier League.

It was a crucial goal in a win earned by a then-fragile Liverpool side who in their previous two outings had suffered Carabao Cup final heartache and a Champions League exit.

Given his heroics for the Reds over the last five years, Murphy expects the club to conduct a moving tribute at the start of the upcoming season.

“He will get a wonderful send-off, probably on the opening game,” Murphy said.

“Hopefully his family will be there to see how loved and appreciated he was because he will be remembered really fondly.

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“He created some magic moments in the memories of those Liverpool fans.

“And I think for the players, there’s going to be some help needed for those boys who were really close to him, and his Portuguese teammates too.

“I’m sure the club will be very aware of supporting the players as well.”

Liverpool wasn’t the only English club where Jota weaved his magic wand.

The 28-year-old announced himself to English football in a 131-game stint at Wolves between 2017 and 2020.

In his first season, his 17 goals propelled Wolves to the 2017/18 Championship title and subsequently Premier League promotion.

There was no acclimatising required in the top flight either, as Jota helped Wolves record back-to-back seventh-place finishes as well as an impressive run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League in 2020.

Jota’s time at Wolves came to an end when Liverpool signed him for £45m in 2020.

But, as emphasised by Murphy, Jota was as humble as they came even after he joined one of the world’s largest clubs and an interaction with the children of former Wolves goalkeeper Matt Murray proved just as much.

“I was outside Molineux, they’d (Liverpool) just beaten Wolves,” Murray told talkSPORT.

“He (Jota) saw me, he hadn’t seen me since he left. Comes over, takes time with my little boys and his mates, has photos.

“That’s the measure of the guy. He was an amazing person. So much ahead of him, married, just won the Premier League.

Jurgen Klopp's tribute to Diogo Jota

“This is a moment where I struggle,” Klopp wrote on Instagram.

“There must be a bigger purpose! But I can’t see it!

“I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother Andre.

“Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father! We will miss you so much!

“All my prayers, thoughts and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends and everyone who loved them!

“Rest in peace – Love J.”

“Absolutely devastated, gutted and just in disbelief.”