Diogo Jota, the Portuguese footballer "better than Figo" who couldn't succeed at Atlético Madrid.

Nineteen hours ago, Diogo José Teixeira da Silva (Massarelos, 1996) wrote on Instagram under the video of his wedding to his wife Rute Cardoso : "A day we will never forget." The celebration had taken place just 10 days ago, watched by their three children, aged 5, 2, and less than a year old (the youngest was born in November). However, a traffic accident in the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday on the A-52, in the province of Zamora, claimed the lives of his 26-year-old brother Andre Silva, and the talented Liverpool footballer, aged just 28.

"He's technically skilled, physically fit, clever, and learns tactical formations very quickly." It's Jurgen Klopp , the manager who signed him for the Reds , the one who praised Diogo Jota , as he was known, in such a way, and the one who brought him from Wolverhampton five years ago for just over €40 million. He always had a good relationship with the player, who was the first to defend the manager's decision to leave Pool for the technical direction of Red Bull in the football field. "He's a person I have a lot of affection for," said the Portuguese in the farewell to one of the best managers in the history of the British team.

And that's despite Jota never being a regular starter under Klopp or this year under Arne Slot . Last season, however, it was due more to injury than coaching decisions, as his return to the team helped secure the Premier League title for the Dutch coach's squad. A 20th title, and one of the most coveted.

The former manager's affection was shared by the British fans, who considered the Portuguese player one of their most beloved players and chanted to him during his matches at Anfield: "He wears number 20, he'll lead us to victory, he'll come from the left, he'll cut inside and score for Liverpool. He's a boy from Portugal, better than Figo , and his name is Diogo ."

The Portuguese striker scored 65 goals and provided 21 assists for Liverpool in 182 matches. He was always a quiet striker who, in his first spell, had to deal with the Salah-Firmino-Mané trio, and it wasn't easy to take away their playing time, something he managed to do with his performance and hard work, in addition to his talent.

A skill that was what drew his attention on Merseyside when Nuno Espirito Santo turned him into the most voracious of Wolves . With Wolverhampton, where he joined in 2018, first on loan and then as a full-time player, he became a Premier League star as soon as the English team landed in the First Division. With his 44 goals and 13 assists, he turned a newly promoted club into a European contender.

The Portuguese player wasn't a quick-fire player. His game isn't overly flashy, but he's very effective and useful to his clubs. Atlético Madrid, however, didn't have enough patience for him to fully establish himself. The red-and-white team was the first major club to take notice of the skills he displayed at Paços de Ferreira, where he would make his debut in the elite.

However, the Portuguese player was unable to do so in an official match with the Colchoneros, for whom he signed in 2016, and who loaned him first to Porto, where he also performed well, and then to Wolves, where they would end up buying him for 14 million euros and a team where he would become a star two years later.

Selection

Who would have thought this footballer, who came up through the youth ranks at Gondomar SC, would end up playing for the Portuguese national team alongside one of his idols and mentors? Jota always remembered a quote from Cristiano Ronaldo when he was struggling to score, saying, "Scoring goals is like opening a bottle of ketchup; when the first drop comes out, it all comes out." "It's one of the quotes Ronaldo said, and it's really stuck with me all these years," the forward noted.

With the Portuguese national team, he has scored 14 goals in 49 appearances. These are good numbers for a player who, as with his clubs, has generally played a substitute role. However, with the national team, he has won two Nations League titles, the most recent being the one he recently snatched from the Spanish national team in Germany.

Jota , a footballer who still had the best years of his career ahead of him, won, at club level, the English Second Division title with Wolves and then with Liverpool, the aforementioned Premier League, two League Cups, a Community Shield and an FA Cup.