Remembering Diogo Jota, whose loss is felt beyond Liverpool

Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has always possessed an uncanny ability to articulate the feelings of the club’s fan base. He did so with remarkable regularity across his nine years as manager of the club, though his words have perhaps never resonated as profoundly as they did on Thursday, after Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, 28, and younger brother André Silva, 25, were killed in a car accident in northwest Spain.

“This is a moment where I struggle,” Klopp wrote on social media. “There must be a bigger purpose, but I can’t see it.”

It’s a sentiment that has been shared by those associated with Liverpool and by the wider world. It is a tragedy that also brings to mind another of Klopp’s astute assessments, uttered at the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020: “Football always seems the most important of the least important things.”

Indeed, the loss puts the triviality of the sport into perspective. The emotional outpouring that has greeted the news serves as a potent reminder of the sport’s unique power as a unifier. Alongside the hundreds of heartfelt tributes left by Liverpool fans outside Anfield, there are marks of respect from fans of Manchester United and Everton.

That supporters of the Reds’ two fiercest domestic rivals have taken the time to honor Jota’s passing is reflective of football’s ability to transcend the world of sport. For all those connected with Liverpool — and Jota’s previous club, Wolverhampton Wanderers — that mark is even more enduring.

The Portugal international represented both clubs with distinction, writing his name both into the history books and into the hearts of two hugely passionate fan bases. At Wolves, Jota became a cult hero after joining from Atletico Madrid in 2017. He scored 44 goals in 131 games at Molineux and was an integral part of the side that clinched promotion from the Championship in the 2017-18 season.

In Wolves’ first season back in the Premier League, he scored three goals in a 4-3 victory over Leicester City, becoming only the second Portuguese player after Cristiano Ronaldo to score a hat trick in the English top flight. In March 2019, he also memorably netted the winning goal against Manchester United to help Wolves reach their first semifinal FA Cup semifinal in nearly two decades.

In spite of his impressive body of work at Molineux, Jota was still viewed as something of an unpolished diamond when he joined Liverpool in September 2020 and as such, his £45 million transfer fee initially attracted derision in some quarters. But Jota soon proved the doubters wrong, scoring seven goals in his first 10 appearances for the club, matching the record set by legendary striker Robbie Fowler. Under Klopp, the forward became an indispensable part of one of Europe’s most formidable attacks and, while a succession of injuries limited his game time at Anfield, he still cultivated a legacy as a key player in a golden era for the club.

Across his five seasons at Liverpool, Jota scored 65 goals in 182 appearances and won four major honors; two League Cups, one FA Cup and, most notably, last season’s Premier League title. He had a knack for delivering on big occasions, netting a brace against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semifinals on Liverpool’s road to the trophy in 2022, and scoring the first goal of the Arne Slot era in the 2-0 win over Ipswich Town in August.

It is fitting that his last goal for Liverpool — a typically clinical finish in front of the Kop in April — helped Slot’s side claim a precious victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby.

Jota also enjoyed a successful international career with Portugal and was part of the squad that last month won the UEFA Nations League. He scored 14 goals in 29 appearances for his country and, though he perhaps lacked the overt star quality of some of his more well-known teammates, he remained a highly valued and well-liked member of the squad.

Portugal captain Ronaldo was among the first to pay tribute, writing on social media that Jota’s death “doesn’t make any sense.” While the sporting world mourns Diogo Jota the player, those who knew him best are grieving Diogo Jota the husband, son and father.

Born and raised in Portugal, Jota’s rise from a youth player at local side Gondomar to the heady heights of the Premier League was an inspiration to many in his homeland and, in 2022, he returned to his boyhood club to open a football academy in his name — a gesture designed to give back to the place where his journey began.

Less than two weeks ago, the 28-year-old married his childhood sweetheart and the mother of his three children, Rute Cardoso at a ceremony in Porto. In an Instagram post marking the occasion last week, the pair shared photos of their young family alongside the caption: “Para Sempre” [“Yes to forever”].

During his time at Liverpool, Jota was afforded the ultimate honor of a terrace chant to the tune of “Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It could regularly be heard ringing out at Anfield and in away ends across Europe as supporters showed their appreciation for a player they had quickly come to adore. In the song, Jota is simply described in one line as “a lad from Portugal” — a reminder of the ordinary man behind the extraordinary talent.

For what he gave to the millions of fans across the world, he will be remembered forever.