Diogo Jota
Portuguese footballer
| Date of Birth | : | 04 December, 1996 |
| Date of Death | : | 03 July, 2025 (Aged 28) |
| Place of Birth | : | Porto, Portugal |
| Profession | : | Football Player |
| Nationality | : | Portuguese |
Diogo José Teixeira da Silva (দিয়োগো জোতা), known as Diogo Jota, was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a forward or left winger. Jota was known for his clinical finishing, explosive pace, and dribbling ability.
Jota started his career with Paços de Ferreira, before signing for La Liga club Atlético Madrid in 2016 with his cousin Ronaldo. After two seasons in the Primeira Liga, he was consecutively loaned to Primeira Liga club FC Porto in 2016 and EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017. Having helped them gain promotion to the Premier League, he joined the club in 2017 for a reported €14 million and went on to make 131 appearances for them, scoring 44 goals. In 2020, he signed for Liverpool for a fee reported to be £41million.
Jota was a former Portugal youth international, representing his country at under-19, under-21 and under-23 levels. He made his senior international debut in November 2019 and was chosen in the squads for the 2022 World Cup and two European Championships (2020 and 2024).He also won the UEFA Nations League in 2019 and 2025.
Jota died in a car crash with his brother in Palacios de Sanabria, Spain, on 3 July 2025.
Club career
Paços de Ferreira
Born in Porto,Jota joined Paços de Ferreira's youth setup in 2013, from Gondomar.[citation needed] He was promoted to the main squad at the start of the 2014–15 season, and made his senior debut on 19 October 2014 by starting in a 4–0 home win against Atlético de Reguengos for the Taça de Portugal.
Jota first appeared in the Primeira Liga on 20 February 2015, coming on as a late substitute for Diogo Rosado in a 2–2 home draw against Vitória de Guimarães. He scored his first goals in the competition on 17 May, netting a brace in a 3–2 home success over Académica de Coimbra and becoming the youngest player to score for the club in the top tier in the process.
On 30 May 2015, Jota signed a new five-year deal with Paços, keeping him tied up until 2020. In the first game of the campaign, a 1–0 win over Académica at the Estádio da Mata Real on 17 August, he was sent off at the end for pushing Hugo Seco; Ricardo Nascimento was also sent off for retaliating on his teammate's behalf.
Atlético Madrid
On 14 March 2016, Jota agreed a five-year contract with Atlético Madrid effective asof 1 July. On 26 August 2016, however, he returned to his homeland and joined FC Porto on a one-year loan.On 1 October, Jota scored a first-half hat-trick in a 4–0 away victory against Nacional.Jota also took part in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League, scoring his first goal in the competition on 7 December in a 5–0 home victory against Leicester City.
Liverpool
2020–21: Debut season and adaptation
Jota playing for Liverpool in 2021
On 19 September 2020, Jota joined Liverpool on a long-term deal,[40] reportedly for a £41 million transfer fee, rising to £45 million with potential add-ons.He made his debut in the EFL Cup five days later, coming on as a second-half substitute against Lincoln City in a 7–2 win. On 28 September, he scored on his Premier League debut for the club, with the third in a 3–1 win against Arsenal at Anfield. Jota scored the club's 10,000th goal in their history when he netted the opener against Midtjylland in the UEFA Champions League group stage, and scored a hat-trick on 3 November in a 5–0 win at Atalanta in the same competition.In doing so, he became the first player since Robbie Fowler in 1993 to score 7 goals in his first 10 Liverpool appearances.On 22 November, Jota scored the second goal in a 3–0 victory against Leicester City, becoming the first Liverpool player to score in each of his first four home matches in the Premier League. For his performances in October, Jota was awarded Liverpool Player of the Month by the club's supporters. On 9 December, Jota suffered a leg injury during a UEFA Champions League match against Midtjylland, in a dead rubber match, sidelining him for three months.
Jota ended his debut season at the club with nine league goals, including a back heel in a 4–2 away win against Manchester United, which helped Liverpool finish third in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League.
Personal life
Jota, whose true surname was "Silva", chose to use the name "Jota" to distinguish himself from other players named Diogo and Silva in the youth academy. "Jota" is the Portuguese pronunciation of the letter "J", making this equivalent to calling himself "Diogo J".
Jota's brother, André Silva, was also a footballer, who played for Liga Portugal 2 side Penafiel at the time of Jota's death.
Jota was an avid gamer, and was ranked world No. 1 in FIFA 21's Champions Leaderboard in February 2021.[110] He had his own eSports team known as Luna Galaxy (formerly "Diogo Jota eSports") and regularly streamed on Twitch.During the lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic he took part in an invitational series of FIFA matches, run by the Premier League, eventually beating future Liverpool teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold in the final of the competition.
Jota married Rute Cardoso on 22 June 2025. The couple had three children.
Death
On 3 July 2025, at around 10 AM, Liverpool forward Diogo Jota has died in a car crash, aged 28. The Portugal forward's brother Andre Silva also died in the accident, which took place in the Spanish province of Zamor The 26-year-old was also a professional footballer, with Portuguese second-tier club Penafiel. The Guardia Civil has told BBC Sport that Jota and his brother died at about 00:30 local time on Thursday.They said that their car, a Lamborghini, left the road due to a tyre blow-out while overtaking another vehicle and then caught fire. Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children, just last month. He recently posted pictures on social media, external of the ceremony, which took place on 22 June. Jota helped Liverpool win the Premier League title last season and also played for Portugal as they beat Spain in the final of the Nations League in June.
"The Portuguese Football Federation (FPT) and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated," said Pedro Proenca, head of the FPT.
"Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 international appearances, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, respected by all team-mates and opponents, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself."
Quotes
Total 0 Quotes
Quotes not found.