Diogo Jota was a Man of Honesty, Humility and Simplicity
Diogo Jota was a Man of Honesty, Humility, and Simplicity
The death of Diogo Jota has compelled Football expert Andy Brassell to discuss the qualities that made Diogo Jota a friend to everyone.
Newera News gathered that after the tragic passing of Diogo Jota on Thursday, European football expert Andy Brassell reflects on the Portuguese player’s career and highlights the impact he had both on and off the pitch.
Few need reminding of the on-pitch achievements of Diogo Jota, especially for Liverpool and Portugal, but following his tragic death and that of his brother Andre Silva, many are arriving at an understanding of why, as his former coach Paulo Fonseca put it, “You will always be in our hearts.”
One of the most prominent voices paying tribute to him in Portugal in the hours after his passing was that of Paulo Meneses, the former president of Pacos de Ferreira, Jota’s first professional club. And it made sense, because where he came from profoundly shaped him and the giant – on and off the pitch – that he became.
It started for Jota in the eastern suburbs of Porto, his home city, and having joined Gondomar Sport Clube at the age of nine, the Academia Diogo Jota eventually took the name of its most famous graduate and was inaugurated as such by the man himself in June 2022.
The billboard that welcomes you at the entrance has a picture of Jota at either end; one of the players who made such a huge impact on the game in action for Portugal, and the other of him as a child in the yellow of Gondomar. Below is a quote of Jota’s. “Não é importante de onde vimos, mas sim para onde vamos.” Where we’re from isn’t important, but where we’re going is.
A memorial for Diogo Jota was set up at the Gondomar Sport Clube’s stadium
Jota knew this to be so because he was proof that hard work, remaining humble, and staying true to one’s values could make the barely believable possible.
He wasn’t an academy prodigy but someone who grafted his way to the top – beginning with eight years at Gondomar where his parents paid €20 per month for him to play – and who wouldn’t have had it any other way, who appeared to enjoy the journey as much as he did the destination – that being in front of millions of fans worldwide, once he was wearing the red of Liverpool.
Diogo Jota proudly wears the red of Liverpool after signing for the club from Wolves in 2020
It was a journey undertaken with friends and family – Nottingham Forest’s Jota Silva posted a poignant photo of himself with Andre from their time together in the Pacos de Ferreira academy – and it was at Pacos, on the outskirts of Porto, that it became clear that there was something special in him as a player. Even when a prolific 2015/16 season earned Jota a move to UEFA Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid, the link with home remained.
“Both Diogo Jota and Andre Silva always maintained their humility and gratitude,” said Meneses. The former president recounted on Radio Renascenca how even when Jota had made it to the Premier League, he kept a close eye on Pacos. When they were last promoted in 2019, Jota – then with Wolves – called Meneses to ask if he could come along to the celebrations.
‘He never forgot where he was from’
“On the day we won the title,” continued Meneses, “he sent me a message five seconds after the final whistle saying, ‘We’re going up again.’ This was somebody who never forgot where he was from.”
Fonseca, now of Lyon, was Jota’s head coach for his first season as a pro at Pacos, and reflected how “his honesty, humility, simplicity and his talent are an example for all of us.”
Those same words, and adjectives like them, come up again and again from those who knew him best.
That sense of embracing and enjoying the ride, rather than merely enduring it, informed every step of what Jota achieved.
It certainly helped him when he first got to England, with Jota and his former Porto (and future Portugal) team-mate Ruben Neves both arriving at Wolves in the same summer of 2017.
Between them they used their resolve, as much as their class, to propel the team from Molineux out of the Championship and into the Premier League, after many doubted their craft would translate to the relentlessness of the English second tier.
Diogo Jota and his Wolves’ team-mates celebrate winning promotion to the Premier League in 2018
Later, among the trophies and the achievements at Anfield, that down-to-earth spirit helped Jota build deep and lasting friendships in Liverpool – just as he had in Porto, Madrid, and Wolverhampton, or online with his successful eSports team, which he often streamed on Twitch – whether going for a day at the racecourse with his team-mates, watching darts with Andy Robertson or tuning in for his brother Andre’s matches for Penafiel in the Portuguese second tier on Caoimhin Kelleher’s iPad.
“He was the most British foreign player I’ve ever met,” Robertson recounted on Instagram. That was Jota’s secret. He was, wherever he was, one of them.
“You were happiness, dedication and an example (to others),” wrote Pacos de Ferreira in the club’s statement. “The walls of this stadium carry your mark, and they keep you present here on every day of work. Forever, Jotinha.”
An unbelievable player & a great person to everyone. Grateful we shared so many memories on and off the pitch, brother.
I send my thoughts and prayers to the whole family.
Rest peacefully, Diogo and André 🕊️❤️
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 André.
Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband, and a 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
I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me from going back to Liverpool after the break. Teammates come and go, but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back. My thoughts are with his wife, his children, and of course his parents, who suddenly lost their children. Those close to Diogo and his brother, Andre, need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten
May your gentle soul rest in Peace, Jota!
