Diogo Jota's Career
Diogo José Teixeira da Silva, born 4th December 1996, known as Diogo Jota was a Portuguese professional footballer who played as a Winger and Forward for the Portugal National Team and Premier League Club Liverpool. Jota was famous for his pace, dribbling, and finishing.
Starting his career at Paços de Ferreira, a Portuguese Club, in 2013 as part of the youth setup. In the 2014-15 season, he was promoted to the main squad and made his debut in October. In 2015, Jota signed a new five-year contract with Paços de Ferreira until 2020.
In March 2016, Jota agreed to a five-year contract with Atlético de Madrid, effective as of 1 July 2016. On 26 August, he was loaned back to Portuguese Club Porto.
On 25 July 2017, Jota joined EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers, known as Wolves, on a season-long loan. On 30 January 2018, Wolves signed a permanent deal with Diogo Jota for €14m, effective from 1 July 2018. He scored 17 goals for Wolves in that season, his career best and fifth in the league top scorers. Jota helps the Wolves to win the Championship and promotion to the Premier League. He made his Premier League debut against Everton on 11 August 2018. In January 2019, Diogo Jota scored his first Premier League Hat-Trick against Leicester City and second of his career. Also, he was the second Portuguese to do so in the Premier League after Cristiano Ronaldo. In March 2019, FA Cup fixture, Jota scored the winning 2-1 goal against Manchester United to help the team reach the semi-final since 1997-98. Jota made his 131st and last appearance for Wolves in his second season at the club against Sevilla on 11 August 2020 in their Europa League quarter-final.
On 19th September 2020, Jürgen Klopp signed him from Wolves for £45m plus add-ons for a long-term contract, as the club was monitoring his form during his time at Porto. The decision was made after his consistent performance at Wolves. He made his debut for the club in the EFL Cup on 24th September 2020. A few days later, he made his Premier League debut against Arsenal. Jota scored his first goal for Liverpool against Midtjylland in the UEFA Champions League, which was also the club's 10,000th goal in history. He also scored his first UEFA Champions League hat-trick in a November fixture against Atlanta. He also became the first player to score 7 goals in 10 appearances since Robbie Fowler in 1993. Jota was an avid gamer and was ranked world No. 1 in FIFA 21's Champions Leaderboard in February 2021. In October 2022, he provided three assists to Egyptian King Mo Salah in the space of six minutes and twelve seconds to complete his first assist hat-trick of his career. In January 2024, in the absence of Mo Salah, he scored goals and won the Player of the Month award for January. On 2nd April 2025, he scored his last ever goal against Everton, winning his team 1-0 in a Premier League match. On 25th May 2025, he made his last appearance at Liverpool against Cystal Palace.
In his 5-year career at Liverpool, he played 182 matches in which he scored 65 goals and 26 assists. In his 448 club matches, he scored 150 goals and 77 assists across all clubs and scoring 14 goals in his 49 international caps.
In May 2025, Jota was selected for Portugal's 2025 UEFA Nations League Finals squad. He and his team went on to win the tournament 5–3 in a penalty shoot-out over Spain, which would be Jota's final match and trophy in his football career.
Club Career (Appearances & Goals)
| Club | Years | Apps | Goals | Major Trophies Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paços de Ferreira | 2014–16 | 45 | 15 | – |
| Atlético Madrid | 2016–18 | 0 | 0 | – |
| FC Porto (loan) | 2016–17 | 38 | 9 | – |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers (loan & permanent) | 2017–20 | 131 | 44 | EFL Championship (2017–18, promotion) |
| Liverpool | 2020–Forever | 182 | 65 | 1× FA Cup (2021–22), 1× EFL Cup (2021–22), 1× FA Community Shield (2022), 1x Premier League (2024-25) |
International Career (Portugal)
| Years | Caps | Goals | Major Achievements |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–present | 39+ | 14+ | UEFA Nations League 2018–19 (Winner), UEFA Euro 2020 & 2024 participant, FIFA World Cup 2022 squad |
Individual Awards
| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| Primeira Liga Young Player of the Month | Oct 2015, Nov 2015, Oct 2016 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers Player of the Season (Fans’ award) | 2017–18 |
| PFA Fans’ Premier League Player of the Month | Nov 2020 |
| UEFA Champions League Breakthrough XI (Nominee) | 2020 |
.png "Andre Silva, Diogo Jota's Brother")
Jota's Brother Andre Silva - The number 30
André Filipe Teixeira da Silva, known as André Silva, was born on 28th April 2000. He began at local club Gondomar before joining Porto’s youth ranks in 2011. He also played for Padroense alongside Fábio Vieira and Vitinha. He later joined Paços de Ferreira, Famalicão, and Boavista.
In 2021, he returned to his first club, Gondomar. He played there for two seasons in the Campeonato de Portugal and the Taça de Portugal. Silva scored goals and two assists in the 2022-23 season.
Silva signed for Penafiel in July 2023 and made his debut with a goal in Liga Portugal 2 against Leixões. Across two seasons under manager Hélder, he made 62 appearances, with seven goals and three assists, though Penafiel’s form dipped after leading the 2024–25 table’s first half.
In an interview, Diogo Jota was asked, "Which player do you love to watch playing?" he said, "My brother".
Tragic Death - 11 Days after marriage
.png "Jota Car Crash")
On 3 July 2025, Jota and his brother Andre Silva died in a car crash in Spain. Diogo Jota was driving his Lamborghini as he was advised by a doctor not to fly because of his minor lung surgery before marriage. He was about to catch the ferry from the port of Santander in Spain. Jota was going for pre-season training sessions in Liverpool. Jota was on his way car tyre burst out while overtaking another car, causing the car to veer off the road and collide into the side barrier, and immediately caught fire. According to the Spanish Civil Guards, both died on the scene. Jota had three children, and he got married 11 days before he died.
.png "Jota Family")
4 July 2025 in Gondomar, Portugal, a wake for brothers was held where hundreds of relatives, friends, teammates, and public figures, including the Portugal Prime Minister and President, were gathered to pay their respects. 28-year-old Diogo Jota and 25-year-old Andre Silva's funeral took place the following morning at the Igreja Paroquial de Gondomar. Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson carried floral tributes dedicated to Jota and Silva, respectively, while Portugal teammate Rúben Neves, his best friend, served as a pallbearer for Jota's casket.
.png "Van Dijk and Andy Robertson")
Tribute for Jota and Silva
Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva's death left the football community in shock when the news of the brothers' death spread. Their sudden death received International coverage; friends, teammates, fans, clubs, and football players around the world paid their tributes to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva.
Cristiano Ronaldo
He says, "It doesn’t make sense. Just now we were together in the National Team, just now you got married. To your family, your wife, and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo and André. We will all miss you."
Mo Salah
He says, "I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me from going back to Liverpool after the break. Teammates come and go, but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back. My thoughts are with his wife, his children, an,d of course, his parents who suddenly lost their children. Those close to Diogo and his brother Andre need all the support they can get. They will never be forgotten."
Jürgen Klopp
There must be a bigger purpose!
But I can’t see it!
I’m heartbroken to hear about the passing of Diogo and his brother André..
Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father!
We will miss you so much!
All my prayers, thoughts, and power to Rute, the kids, the family, the friends, and everyone who loved them!
Rest in peace - Love
Arne Slot
Head coach of Liverpool at the time of Jota's death, released a statement through the club saying, "For us as a club, the sense of shock is absolute. Diogo was not just our player. He was a loved one to all of us. He was a teammate, a colleague, a wworkmateand in all of those roles he was very special."
Chelsea
Chelsea has announced that they will donate to their family using a portion of their Club World Cup prize money. The decision was a joint one between the club and the players, with a portion of the £11.4m bonus fund set aside for the family of Jota and Silva.
Liverpool
On 11 July, Liverpool announced that Jota's number 20 jersey would be retired at all levels at the club. The club also confirmed they would pay out the remaining salary of his current contract in instalments, in full, to Jota's family.
Other than Football
Icelandic singer Laufey paid tribute to Jota on 3 July 2025 during her concert in Liverpool by performing a rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone"
English rock band Oasis paid tribute to Jota during the first show of their reunion tour on 4 July in Cardiff; whilst performing "Live Forever", an image of Jota in his kit appeared on the stage display.
LeBron James, NBA Star, says on X, "My prayers goes out to his loved ones during this time! May you all be guided and protected! YNWA JOTA!!"
Mohammed Siraj Indian Fast Bowler, made a visible tribute at Lord’s during the 3rd Test vs England: after taking a wicket, he signalled “20” with his fingers (Diogo Jota’s Liverpool number) and looked to the sky
.png "Mohammed Siraj tribute Diogo Jota")
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