Diogo Jota played football with joy and an utter absence of spite - it made him stand out in the hurly-burly of the modern game, writes OLIVER HOLT
Share this @internewscast.com

The heartbreaking loss of a life ended too soon, of a father lost to his young children, of a groom taken just days after marrying his childhood love, and of a beloved champion, deeply saddened Liverpool Football Club on Thursday morning.

Diogo Jota was just 28 years old. He was a humble, considerate man and a brilliantly skilled footballer who played the game with joy and style, free from malice, which made him stand out in the fast-paced world of modern football.

As a forward who played a crucial role in helping Liverpool reclaim their status as the top team in English football and scored the first goal of the Arne Slot era at the start of last season, he will forever hold a special place as one of Liverpool’s cherished figures.

That is one of things that cuts so deep about Jota’s death in a car crash: in times of tragedy in their own lives, supporters look to their club and their manager and players like Jota for strength and support.

When a relative dies, perhaps they will lay flowers for them at the Shankly Gates or their name will be read out at Anfield or the fans will stand at an appointed minute of a game to applaud a life that has been taken away.

Liverpool star Diogo Jota's death on Thursday, at the age of 28, has shaken the football world

Liverpool star Diogo Jota’s death on Thursday, at the age of 28, has shaken the football world

Liverpool have said they are 'devastated' in an emotional tribute to their player Diogo Jota after he died in a tragic car accident at the age of 28

Liverpool have said they are ‘devastated’ in an emotional tribute to their player Diogo Jota after he died in a tragic car accident at the age of 28

Several Liverpool fans gathered at Anfield on Thursday morning to lay flowers and messages in honour of Jota, as the world of football fell into mourning

Several Liverpool fans gathered at Anfield on Thursday morning to lay flowers and messages in honour of Jota, as the world of football fell into mourning

A football club is a family. It is a support system as well as a team that kicks a ball around a pitch. And, because of that, a player like Diogo Jota, a team player, a player who understood his responsibilities, was a community leader, too.

It was part of his role as a player at an institution as powerful and emotive as Liverpool Football Club is in it city. It is why, after the Hillsborough Tragedy in 1989, Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager, and his players, attended so many of the funerals of the supporters who were killed.

And now the roles have changed. Now, one of the players has been taken away. Now the players are the ones who will need the support of the fans in a moment that will have shocked them to their core and plunged the club into mourning.

Liverpool is a club that has had to deal with more tragedy in its history than any club should have to carry and the loss of Diogo Jota is another unbearably cruel blow to England’s champions.

As they prepare for a new season, a rhythm of football life that always feels like a time of excitement and rebirth, death has struck right at their heart of the team and torn away a man who was like a brother to some of the players, not just a team-mate.

There had been so much anticipation about the new season, too. The last few weeks have been filled with happiness at news of a slew of fresh arrivals and particularly the record signing of Bayer Leverkusen’s Germany international Florian Wirtz.

Everything seemed set fair. After the joy of last season’s title triumph, the club was awash with optimism and hope and the thrill of the new. All that has gone now. In its place is a club in mourning.

Perhaps we have got a little better in recent years at realising that the money modern footballers earn does not always protect them from the pressures and strains of ordinary life.

Jota’s death is another unbearably cruel blow to England’s champions – he was a modest, thoughtful man and a wonderfully intelligent footballer who played the game with joy and elan

Jota's death tragically came just two weeks after he married his childhood sweetheart and mother of his three children, Rute Cardoso, in Porto

Jota’s death tragically came just two weeks after he married his childhood sweetheart and mother of his three children, Rute Cardoso, in Porto

'RIP Diogo': Supporters pay their respects by laying bouquets of flowers outside Anfield

‘RIP Diogo’: Supporters pay their respects by laying bouquets of flowers outside Anfield

An image of Jota celebrating with team-mate Kostas Tsimikas on a panel outside Anfield

An image of Jota celebrating with team-mate Kostas Tsimikas on a panel outside Anfield

But there is still a temptation to see players like Jota as invincible, somehow. Sure, they get football-related injuries but beyond that, the idea that a tragedy like this could befall them is almost unthinkable.

They exist in our minds as inseparable from the club. Even the idea that Jota should have been killed with his brother, Andre Silva, in a car crash on a road in Spain jars. It is a reminder he had a life outside football. He was a man, a father, a husband, a brother, a son. He was all those things before he was the footballer we came to know.

He was a lovely player to watch. Signed by Jurgen Klopp from Wolves, he was intelligent enough that he could deputise for any of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah in Liverpool’s famous forward trident.

He was sharp enough and astute enough to be a steady contributor of fine goals and if he struggled to establish himself in the first choice starting line-up, he was crucial to the squad in so many of Liverpool’s league campaigns.

He scored that first goal under Slot after 60 minutes of Liverpool’s 2-0 over Ipswich Town at Portman Road and made 26 league appearances in a campaign where Liverpool marched impressively to a resounding title triumph. It was Jota’s first league winners’ medal.

Jota may not have been an automatic starter but he always made an impact when he played

Jota may not have been an automatic starter but he always made an impact when he played

His last competitive match saw him end it as a champion again - winning the Nations League with Portugal last month

His last competitive match saw him end it as a champion again – winning the Nations League with Portugal last month

He was also an established international with Portugal, of course, and won the Nations League twice with his country. The President of the Portuguese Football Federation, Pedro Proenca, made a moving tribute to him on Thursday morning that hinted at his wider impact as a man and a player.

‘The Portuguese Football Federation and all of Portuguese football are completely devastated by the death of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, this early morning, in Spain,’ Proenca said.

‘Much more than an amazing player, with almost 50 international appearances for the national team, Diogo Jota was an extraordinary person, someone with an infectious joy and a reference in the community itself.’

His dignity, his modesty and his joy in the game he played, made him a reference in the Liverpool community, too. His loss is a devastating blow.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

‘Alisha Lehmann, Dubbed the ‘World’s Sexiest Footballer,’ Unveils Stylish New Look as Euro 2025 Begins’

Alisha Lehmann has sported a new bespectacaled look as she prepares for the…

Brighton Acquires Viral Belgian Left-Back After Champions League Success

Brighton have completed the signing of Maxim De Cuyper from Club Brugge.…

Manchester City’s Club World Cup Woes: Sauna Sessions, Crosswords, and Rayan Cherki’s French Rap Lead to Al Hilal Disaster – What’s Next?

The beach yoga on Florida’s east coast wouldn’t have felt quite so…

Behind the Scenes at Chelsea: The Historic Joao Pedro Deal, Levi Colwill’s Welcome Message, and the Enigma of Raheem Sterling

Chelsea’s acquisition of Joao Pedro will result in the Brazilian becoming Watford’s…

Club World Cup: Battling Extreme Heat with Sniffer Dogs in Crocs for Paw Protection

Last week, Chelsea and Flamengo clashed at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia…

Ellie Carpenter, Matildas Star, Faces WSL Competition From Her New Wife Weeks After Beautiful French Wedding

Matildas star Ellie Carpenter has signed for Chelsea on a four-year deal.…

Kyle Walker bids an emotional farewell to Man City, expressing his gratitude despite feeling sidelined by the team. He departs to join Burnley in a surprising £5m move.

Kyle Walker has paid tribute to Manchester City after completing a £5m…

Manchester City’s Reign Faces Its Toughest Challenge Yet – and It’s Unstoppable: IAN HERBERT

I’ve rarely had good things to say about Qatar – not too…