Diogo Jota is unfortunately no longer with us, but during his time with Liverpool, he managed to leave a lasting legacy.
The ‘lad from Portugal’ was Mr Reliable and was seen as Liverpool’s closer before Wataru Endo entered the frame, with Jurgen Klopp often bringing him on towards the end of a game to confirm their win.
The former Wolves man has created a lasting legacy at Anfield, with fans pouring in tributes from across the world.
Former players such as Jamie Carragher also shared their condolences, with many even calling for Liverpool to retire the number 20 in his honour.
The attacker earned himself the nickname of Jota the Slotter due to his clinical finishing, so with this in mind, it’s hardly surprising to see that he beat the likes of Roberto Firmino and Ian Rush to a goal-scoring record at Liverpool.
Diogo Jota ranks in the top ten of goals per game scored for Liverpool
Liverpool have had their fair share of impressive forwards over the years, and Jota was no different.
He always put 110 per cent into every performance and more often than not, he came out on top.
The Portugal international still had plenty more to give the club, and although his time was cut short, his legacy will never be forgotten.
His clinical finishing was a key part of his game, so it’s nice to see him feature in the top 10 list for Liverpool’s goals per game in the Premier League.
| Player | Games played | Goals | Goals per game ratio |
| Mohamed Salah | 288 | 184 | 0.639 |
| Fernando Torres | 102 | 65 | 0.637 |
| Luis Suarez | 110 | 69 | 0.627 |
| Michael Owen | 216 | 118 | 0.546 |
| Robbie Fowler | 266 | 128 | 0.481 |
| Sadio Mane | 196 | 90 | 0.459 |
| Daniel Sturridge | 116 | 50 | 0.431 |
| Stan Collymore | 61 | 26 | 0.426 |
| Diogo Jota | 123 | 47 | 0.382 |
| Ian Rush | 130 | 45 | 0.346 |
Jota is among some of the greatest strikers in Liverpool history on that list, and the fact that he’s managed to beat Rush is extremely impressive.
Not only does this show how important he was to Liverpool during his time with the club, but it also outlines how clinical he actually was.
Diogo Jota will forever be Liverpool’s number 20
Jota was an incredible footballer as well as an incredible human being.
He’d recently married his childhood sweetheart and was likely looking forward to spending the rest of his life by her side.
In the end, however, life had different ideas and cruelly took him away at just 28 years old.
His memory will forever live on with the number 20 always being his in the eyes of every Liverpool fan.
You’ll never walk alone, Diogo, may you rest in peace.
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