Who is Diogo Jota? A Portuguese football player on the rise
Diogo Jota is a Portuguese football player who currently plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Liverpool Football Club in the English Premier League. He previously played for FC Porto in the Primeira Liga and was loaned to Vitoria Guimaraes and Pacos de Ferreira in 2015 and 2016, respectively.
Brief history
Diogo Jota was born in 1996 in Portugal. He began his career playing for local club Paços de Ferreira before being signed by FC Porto in 2014. He spent two seasons there before being loaned out to Atlético Madrid in 2016. After impressing with Atlético, he was signed by Liverpool FC in September 2020. Since joining Liverpool, he has scored 9 goals and provided 3 assists in 14 appearances. His best performance so far came against Southampton in January 2021, where he scored a hat-trick to win the game 4-3. He was also crucial in ensuring that Liverpool qualified for the Champions League Quarter Finals earlier this year, scoring four goals in five games. He continues to impress fans as well as journalists, who are already tipping him as one of the world’s best players. It seems like it won’t be long until we see him playing at the European Championships or World Cup.
At age 18, he made his debut for Porto, scoring a brace in a 3-0 win over Vitoria Setubal. He became a fan favorite after scoring 11 goals in 23 appearances, winning both their Young Player of The Year and Players’ Player of The Year awards for 2015-16. He joined Atletico Madrid during the 2017 summer transfer window with Miguel Veloso in exchange for Yannick Carrasco and Luciano Vietto. In his first season there, he was an important part of Diego Simeone’s squad that won the La Liga title defeating arch-rivals Real Madrid 2-1 at Santiago Bernabeu in May 2017.
Early life
Diogo Jota was born in 1996 in Portugal. He started playing football at a young age and joined his first club, Portimonense when he was just eight years old. From there, he progressed through the ranks and eventually made his senior debut for the club in 2013.
Jota’s big break came in 2016 when he was signed by English club Liverpool. He initially joined on loan, but after impressing with his performances, the move was made permanent.
Since joining Liverpool, Jota has gone from strength to strength and has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League. In 2020, he helped the club win the Premier League title for the first time in 30 years. He scored six goals and assisted nine others in the competition, which led to him being awarded the PFA Young Player of the Year award. In 2021, he helped them retain their league title and also played an integral role in Liverpool winning their fourth Champions League trophy.
In 2022, Diogo Jota was named team captain of Liverpool after an injury ruled out Virgil van Dijk. His impressive form for the Reds led him to be named among Ballon d’Or nominees this year alongside Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, and Roberto Firmino. The 24-year-old’s latest goal for Liverpool came against Newcastle United earlier this month when he brilliantly flicked a free kick into the top corner.
Career statistics
Born in Porto, Portugal, Diogo Jota began his professional career with the local club Pacos de Ferreira in 2013. He made his senior debut at the age of 18 and went on to make 33 appearances for the club, scoring seven goals. In 2016, he transferred to Atletico Madrid for a fee of €7 million.
Jota spent two seasons with Atletico Madrid, making 36 appearances and scoring four goals. In 2018, he was loaned out to Wolverhampton Wanderers in England’s Championship. He impressed during his time at Wolves, scoring nine goals in 44 appearances. His loan was made permanent in 2019, and he has since established himself as a key player for the club, scoring 16 goals in 37 appearances. The 23-year-old winger is seen as one of the most promising players in Europe, and it is believed that he will become a regular starter for Portugal’s national team. In May 2020, he became the first ever player from Portugal to win the Premier League Player of the Month award.
Jota signed a five-year contract extension with Wolves in September 2020, which could keep him at Molineux until 2025.
At the club level, he has played 156 games, scoring 28 goals and creating 37 assists. He has also made 19 appearances for Portugal’s national team, scoring one goal. He made his debut for his country in 2018 and was part of their squad at UEFA Euro 2020.
In terms of honours, he has won two La Liga titles and one Copa del Rey with Atletico Madrid. At Wolves, he has won three League Cups and one Premier League title. He was part of the Wolves’ squad that won the domestic treble in 2019 and also helped them reach the UEFA Champions League semifinal in 2020.
Personal life
Diogo Jota was born in 1996 in Portugal. He started playing football at a young age and progressed through the ranks of Portuguese youth teams. In 2014, he made his senior debut for Portuguese club Pacos de Ferreira.
In 2016, he transferred to the English club Wolverhampton Wanderers. He initially struggled to adapt to the English game, but he eventually became a key player for Wolves and helped them gain promotion to the Premier League in 2018.
Since then, Jota has established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League. He is known for his pace, dribbling ability, and finishing quality. In 2019/20, he was one of the Wolves’ most important players as they qualified for the UEFA Europa League. He scored 17 goals in all competitions and continued to show great form throughout the season.
However, after scoring against Southampton in February 2020, Jota suffered an injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season. The medical staff revealed that he had ruptured ligaments in his left knee. He underwent surgery to repair it, and he is expected to be sidelined until 2021.
Despite his injury, he has been included in Portugal’s squad for Euro 2020. The midfielder recently scored a penalty against Ukraine to help his country win 1-0 and qualify for Euro 2020. It will be his first major tournament with Portugal. He is regarded as one of the brightest prospects in European football and could be on course to become a star player for both club and country.
With his performances for Wolves, it is not hard to see why so many people are excited about him. It remains to be seen whether he can replicate that form during Euro 2020, but it won’t be long before other clubs begin knocking on Wolverhampton Wanderers’ door with lucrative offers. It will be interesting to see how things play out. But right now, all eyes are on Diogo Jota! Who knows what he might achieve next?
