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Diogo Jota celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England on April 2, 2025.(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

It took Liverpool supporters barely eight minutes to fall in love with Diogo Jota in 2020.

It was Jota, in fact, who had the honour of returning a precious commodity to the possession of Liverpool supporters that day in August 2021.

It was his goal, at Norwich City on the weekend of the new Premier League campaign, that was the first competitive strike that a full complement of fans were able to celebrate inside a football ground after around 18 months in the wilderness, owing to the effects of COVID-19.



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As a Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup winner at Anfield, that may not go down as the player's most significant achievement, but on that particular day - August 14, 2021 - he allowed Liverpool fans to feel something that had previously been taken for granted; something that had been taken away from them for far too long.

The simple act of cheering a goal was something of a cathartic release at the time and they owed it all to Diogo.

It's worth reflecting on that as those associated with the club attempt to make sense of the horrendous news of his and brother Andre's deaths in Spain.

A knowing smile and an acknowledgement that it was Gold Cup Friday was said to have been his way of avoiding censure.

Darts were also an interest - he struck a quick bond with Steven Bunting when he visited the AXA Training Centre this year - while his understated wardrobe was often at odds with some of his more flamboyantly dressed colleagues.

Tracksuits and trainers were the order of the day for him, much to the amusement of his team-mates, and it is likely that was what he was decked out in on Crosby Beach when he was spotted on a bike ride the day after winning the Premier League in late April.

But while the picture of a jovial and easy-going family man is an accurate one, there was also the cerebral, deeply intelligent side to Jota when it came to his job.

A football obsessive, the Portuguese impressed many with the depth of his knowledge and had been tipped to eventually become a manager by those who saw it all up close.

It was in front of goal where he shone brightest, becoming feared as one of the most polished finishers in the Premier League during his five years as a Reds player.

Rest in peace - Love J."

It's fitting that his final act as a Liverpool player came on May 26, when he and his team-mates marked their Premier League success with a city-wide parade of celebration.

Thank you.

It took Liverpool supporters barely eight minutes to fall in love with Diogo Jota.
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