Liverpool fans already knew just what a special person and footballer Diogo Jota was, but now the whole world is seeing it too.
Grief continues to consume the football landscape after Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car accident on Thursday morning.
Tributes have poured in for Jota, with many focusing on the clear and unbridled love he felt for his family and friends. The 28-year-old was very dear to a great number of people and his loss will continue to leave an ever-widening hole.
As Liverpool fans and the rest of the football community come together to honour Jota, the spotlight is rightfully being put on his often underrated skillset as a player.
By the end of his life Jota was an experienced and successful Liverpool player who had honed his ability to the nth degree. But the Portuguese had a whole career before joining the Reds in 2020.
Someone who saw Jota in his early days was former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres. And when speaking to Liverpoolfc.com in March 2024, Torres gave his memories of the ‘special’ youngster he played with at Atletico Madrid.
Fernando Torres knew how good Diogo Jota was
One thing Jota has always been known for is his finishing ability. The former Wolves man was as clinical as they come in front of goal.
Torres was of a similar ilk. And, as the Spaniard confirmed last year, he and Jota crossed paths after the latter joined Atletico from Pacos de Ferreira as a 19-year-old in 2016.
“I remember when Diogo came,” Torres reminisced. “He was really young and came from Pacos de Ferreira as one of these young talents who joined the pre-season in Atletico’s first team and everybody is expecting big things from them.
“At the end of the pre-season he left [for Porto on loan] but you could see something special in this young lad. I’m really happy for him, how he’s doing now in his time in England.”
“Moving to Liverpool was a big step for him,” the World Cup winner continued. “Now you can see the kind of player he is.
“I remember that small period of time we played together and I’m so proud of what he did after that because it’s not easy to come to Atletico and leave on loan, and you have to prove yourself in different places.”
Jota takes his place among Liverpool’s great strikers
During his time at Liverpool, Jota was often outshone in the goalscoring stakes by the relentlessness of Mohamed Salah.
However, looking back on his life as a Red, it becomes clear that Jota is one of the most potent scorers in Liverpool history.
In all, the Portugal international scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for the Reds.
That puts Jota in 38th place on the all-time list, one goal behind Steve McManaman and two behind another net-finding machine, Daniel Sturridge. Torres himself is in 23rd spot, having scored 81 times in 142 matches.
Jota’s ratio of a goal every 2.8 games is far better than many of those ahead of him on the list, though, and had he fulfilled his contract with Liverpool he would likely have broken into the top 25. Rest in peace to one of the best Reds goal-getters there ever will be.
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